The End of an Era
by Ace Amity
Summary: Uchiha Kazuto was always one to believe that everything happened for a reason. So then, what was the reason he's been spared? Well he'd have to find out. And to do that, he'll not only cause the end of a story, but the End of an Era. OC Self-insert
1. New Beginnings

The End of an Era

"Hello" -Talking

'Hello' -Thinking

" **Hello** " -Biju/Summon Speak

' **Hello** ' -Biju/Summon Think

It was a quite chilly night, one could suppose. The sight of frosty mist protruding from the mouths of others was quite common this type of year, despite being in Konohagakure, known to be one of the warmer nations in the chaotic world they lived in. Cold was no stranger to anyone, but there was something different about tonight's cold. A particular chill that spoke of the evil doings of men, and the tools used to carry out such deeds. Uchiha Itachi considered himself to be one such tool. That was, after all, what shinobi were supposed to be. Tools to be used for their respective villages they put their lives on the line for. However, though tools are used for problems many times, some jobs will always be harder than others. That brought young Uchiha Itachi into the situation he was in now. Kill his family. His final mission as a shinobi of Konoha, to spill the very blood coursing through his veins. He looked over the Uchiha District using the pole he was on top of as a vantage point, and steeled himself, a fiery determination settling in his eyes.

/Flashback/

Uchiha Itachi kneeled before the leader of all of Konohagakure No Sato, Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Flanking the aged Hokage were advisors Koharu and Homura, along with Sarutobi's former teammate and right hand man, Danzo Shimura. The latter started to speak, adorning his signature glare which he somehow held through emotionless eyes.

"Do you know why we have summoned you here, Itachi?" The Uchiha stared right back into his glaring eyes with an equal ferocity.

"I imagine it is to hear about the newest information regarding the coup." The greedy glint in Danzo's singular eye didn't fade a bit as he replied smoothly.

"Then explain yourself. There is no use stalling the situation." Itachi struggled to keep the hatred out of his eyes. He would like nothing more than to attack him right here, Hokage's presence be damned. But he kept his cool. He always did. He looked at Danzo with an even stare.

"The coup is to be in exactly two weeks. The Uchiha are planning to attack when many of the Jounin are protecting the Fire Daimyo and his nobles at the ceremony of his anniversary."

The Elders in the room widened their eyes and gasped. Koharu in particular was scandalized. "Two weeks! You want us to get ready to stop a rebellion of the most powerful clan of Konoha in two weeks!"

And with that, the little semblance of civility was crushed. "We can't plan for a coup in two weeks!" The residents of the room were in uproar. Danzo and the advisors were trying to think of immediate, albeit harsh plans to quell the Uchiha's mutiny while Hiruzen was making placating statements, trying to soothe his former teammate's ire.

Itachi stayed silent, watching the exchange, however on the inside his brain was racing at top speeds. 'The Elders are getting agitated. They might do something rash.'

He thought about his Tou-san, Fugaku, who although could be rough around the edges, only wanted what was best for him and the clan. He thought about his Kaa-san, Mikoto, who's non-judging smile was always there to support him. He thought about Izumi, his only friend left after Shisui had been killed by the very man speaking to him now. Finally, he thought about Sasuke, his brother who he would die a thousand times for, a young boy who was innocent from the crimes of his family. Then, he thought of Konoha. He thought of her laughing children and content elderly. He imagined in his mind's eye eating pocky with Shisui at one of the restaurants. He imagined the view of the village from the Hokage mountain, the lights from the buildings casting a golden sheen on his home. And in that moment, he knew he'd do whatever he had to in order to keep that peace. However, he hoped with all his soul that it wouldn't have to come to the final option. Yet it did. The Sandaime spoke.

"After much contemplation Itachi, we're sorry to say that your final mission as a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, is to exterminate the Uchiha clan. Your mission begins in 3 days, when night falls."

Itachi got up and immediately left, his world spinning and muttering an 'understood' as more of a reflex than anything else. His last thought while leaving the room was, 'So be it.'

/End Flashback/

 **~/~**

As he ran another one of his kin through, as he felt their blood splatter against his sword and clothes, he couldn't help but thinking that the stains would never come off his soul. No matter how spotless his clothes looked when he finished purging them of the blood of his comrades, his conscious could never be cleaned. It was on this matter of thought where he found his father, alone. It was as if he was being waited for. "Itachi! What lies behind this slaughter!" He waited before speaking again, but his twisted eyes spoke to him in the way his father never could; the Mangekyou Sharingan. "Are you going to show me… a different future from the one I showed you?"

Itachi's eyes were dead as he faced the man who raised him, knowing only one of them would walk out alive.

 **~/~**

Elsewhere, while father and son faced a dangerous confrontation, the shadowy figure in the orange mask known as Madara had his own part in eradicating the Uchiha. He was walking out of the now corpse-filled Uchiha police building when he saw a trio of kunai flying in his direction. He batted them away as if it was child's play and turned to face his next target.

He saw a young and somewhat pretty kunoichi wearing the typical black turtleneck of the Uchiha. She donned a Konoha forehead protector and two forearm warmers on each arm. Murderous sharingan eyes looked back at him. 'I remember Itachi being quite fond with this one.' He thought.

The girl stood, with another kunai in hand as he commented to her, "Such nice eyes."

She hurled her kunai as fast as she could at the Masked Man, but to no avail. Her eyes widened in fear as she realized how outclassed she was. "No way!" she shouted, and turned to run.

She had made it less than two feet before the chain of the masked man wrapped around her torso and dragged her back to the killer. As she lay on her back, wrapped in chains and staring up into a single, menacing sharingan eye, she thought frantically. 'Help… Itachi-kun. Help me!'

Madara looked down at the girl help within his grasp. Now, time for the boy…

A little boy no older than ten looked in fear from the wall he was hiding behind. His thundering heartbeat seemed to be in sync with the footsteps of the horrifying man coming towards him.

 **~/~**

Itachi stared at the numerous bodies strewn around the streets. "This is the future I see for the Uchiha."

Fugaku's warped Mangekyou eyes narrowed dangerously. " I see."

Fugaku's calm demeanor belied what he was thinking on the inside, his mind racing. 'Sasuke.' And he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'Kage Bunshin?'

Itachi narrowed his eyes and thought. 'This isn't good. Tou-san was the worst possible enemy for me. This is going to be a battle of Mangekyou Sharingan.'

He pushed the thought out of his mind as he traveled to his home, where he knew his father would be, along with his mother. A quick shunshin got him outside of the house, where he walked toward the door cautiously, watching for any traps or surprises. He was trying to discreetly check their bedroom for them, when he heard a voice from the living room. His father's voice resonated throughout the dead-silent compound. "Come inside, there are no traps. I will not participate in a death match with my own son."

Itachi obeyed, but kept his guard up. He walked in to have his mind blown. His parents were kneeling on the living room floor with their back to him. No fighting positions, no weapon in hand, not even a clenched fist. They were truly prepared to die. That's when the gravity of the situation hit him. Could he truly end their lives, the very people who fed him, clothed him, and were even prepared to die for him? For a cause they didn't believe in, just because he supported it? It was impossible for Itachi to keep the sword from trembling in his hands as he stood behind his Mother and Father, tears rolling down his cheeks.

His father's strong, commanding voice he would never see again cut through him sharper than any blade.

"You've aligned with the other side."

He responded, his eyes getting watery. " Tou-san, Kaa-san… I…"

He was cut off by his mother's voice that held his heart in a vice grip. "We know, Itachi."

His father spoke again. "Itachi, promise me one thing. Take care of Sasuke."

Itachi felt like he was being given his own personal type of torture as he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. His heart constricted tighter than he thought possible as his teary voice stuttered. "I w-will."

Itachi readied his katana with a heavy heart he thought would simply give out because of how much pain he felt. His father spoke for the last time."Do not fear. This is the path you have chosen. Compared to your pain, ours will be gone in an instant. Even if our philosophies differ, I am proud of you. You are truly a kind child."

His silent sobs heard only by him increased as he drove his katana through their chests.

While witnessing the aftermath of what he had done, he heard footsteps approaching the door. He recognized them as his dear brother, Sasuke. He forced himself to look strong. He had to be cruel, if he would ever be redeemed. This was his plan. His end goal. The only way to escape this pain weighing him down like an anchor. He forced himself to stay silent after hearing Sasuke's yell, and as he heard, " Tou-san! Kaa-san!" yelled in fear, he stepped out of the shadows.

" I-Itachi! You have to help, Aniki! Kaa-san and Tou-san are…" When he heard no reply from the older boy he repeated again, shakily. "Itachi? Who could do this?" The raven-haired Anbu watched as horrifying comprehension settled into his brother's eyes as he saw the blood-stained katana held in Itachi's hands.

As soon as those words left his throat Sasuke felt as sting on his shoulder, and a shuriken imbedded in the wall behind him. He looked down to see a thin line of blood under his ripped clothing, and looked up in fear. "Wait a s-second, no!"

Itachi's eyes, despite their teary state almost instants before, were now as emotionless as a stone. He spoke in the cruelest voice he could. "Foolish little brother. I almost pity you. So weak."

For the next two words, Itachi had to gather up more resolve he ever had to in his life. "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Sasuke yelled in agony as he had to relive the eradication of his kin over, and over, and over. Only when he fell to the ground in pain, did Itachi release him from the clutches of Tsukyomi. Sasuke's tortured voice ripped Itachi apart.

"W-Why! Why d-did you do this?"

Itachi spoke. "To test the limits…Of my ability."

Sasuke was gripped with the fiercest anger he had ever been in his life at those words. "To test…your ability? That's the reason you butchered every member of our clan! Of our family!"

Sasuke charged at Itachi as fast as he could, screaming. "YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!"

As he went to strike Itachi, a swift punch to the stomach stopped him cold in his tracks. Saliva was forcibly ejected from his mouth as he stood, suspended on his older brother's fist. The removal of that support sent Sasuke careening to the floor, face to face with his dead mother and father.

It was then Sasuke started to sob uncontrollably. The volume only matched by the booming sound of Itachi stepping toward him. He looked up in fear before realizing what he earlier had not. 'I'm scared.' He repeated again, audibly. "I'm scared!"

The younger Uchiha turned and ran out the door as fast as possible. His sobs echoed throughout the night as he screamed. " I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

He kept running through the streets of the Uchiha district, hoping it wasn't empty for the reason he knew it to be. He kept running, until the sound of Itachi's ninja sandal hitting the floor in from of him struck fear into every cell in his body. "P-Please. Don't kill me."

Itachi's hard voice answered him. "You're not even worth killing. Foolish little brother… If you wish to kill me one day, foster your hatred and despise me. By all means, run. Cling to your wretched life. And when you have the same eyes as me..."

His warped Mangekyou sharingan spun menacingly. "Seek me out."

With that Itachi disappeared toward his family's neighborhood to finish his job in the last house on the street. However, he turned as he heard the tell-tale sounds of two kunai racing toward him. After seeing it was Sasuke who threw them, he solemnly thought.

'It's there, the hate is already there. Everything is going according to plan.'

Oh, how he wished those thoughts were false. He swiftly blocked one with his katana, and caught the other one within his fingers, using it to scratch out the leaf symbol on his headband, erasing the last sign of his loyalty to Konoha right in front of his brother.

Sasuke watched as the last sign of the old Itachi and his old life was destroyed. But in the span of that very moment, he saw something he would later insist to be a genjutsu. He saw the watering of his brother's sharingan eyes that were so highly complimented. Right after this though, he felt a woozy feeling, as if the world was off balance. He was unconsious before he hit the ground.

 **~/~**

Uchiha Izumi was in hell. It was the only possible explanation from the sheer amount of pain she was feeling. Her insides felt like they were on fire. Ever single cell in her body felt like it was being roasted on a flame. Some say that when in excruciating pain, your body just goes numb. They couldn't have been more wrong. All of the agony she was feeling was from a center point. The sword stuck in her chest. The mere thought of the man in the spiral mask was enough to send shivers down her spine. She cursed him with every fiber of her being. He hadn't even struck her in a vital area, just to see her suffer. To see the agony in her eyes as her life force was slowly sucked out of her. Laying there, her thoughts drifted in desperation to her prodigious friend.

'I wonder what happened to Itachi-kun...'

Indeed. She knew Itachi was a powerful fighter, incredibly so. But when faced with odds such as the orange masked man, could her really win?

She discontinued her thoughts in favor of more depressing ones. Even though that fight was arguable, she knew one than was not. Kazuto. Her little brother. The one she'd promised to take care of when her father died. The little boy she loved more than anyone else in the world. She'd told him to hide while she confronted the masked man, but considering the caliber of shinobi she suspected him to be, he had no chance.

With that realization, her dam holding back the tears broke loose. She wept. And wept. And wept. She had failed. Failed to protect the most important person in the world. So as she lay there, in a pool of her own blood and a mixture of tears, she begged death to take her in its embrace.

 **~/~**

'Where could she be?' This thought was running through the forefront of Itachi's mind. Uchiha Izumi, the girl who had stuck by his side. His only friend after Shisui died. He had to spare her.

At first he wanted to think of her as the rest of the Uchiha. But he couldn't. She wasn't like the rest of the Uchiha. She was Izumi. And he had to save her. If all went as planned the Hokage and his council will never know. He already had a plan of action. He would erase her memories with genjutsu so she wouldn't seek him out.

Place her in a small, quaint town off the coast of the Land of Tea. She will live as a civilian for the rest of her life. Never to know the use of chakra. But she would be alive. That was all that mattered.

Perhaps it was selfish. It probably was. But he had to do this for himself, if not for her. However, all of this would be for naught if he couldn't find her. While on this train of thought, Itachi was jumping on the roofs of the left side of the Uchiha District. His side of the Uchiha District. The part of the Uchiha he was to massacre, while Madara took the right side, including the Uchiha Police Force building and the-

Itachi stopped running. 'The Police Force building.'

He felt his heart drop into his stomach and dread filled his mind.

/Flashback/

/One week before the massacre/

Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi were on the bridge bordering the Naka River. Their legs were hanging off the side as they ate sweets and talked. That fact alone would surprise most people but it was true. Itachi dropped his ever-stoic act with Izumi, as he did with Shisui. At least, to an extent. It was his personality after all. It hadn't been like that at first, not by a long shot. But with Izumi's friendly personality and her infamous homemade pocky sticks, Itachi couldn't help but succumb to their friendship.

"-And then Aiku-taichou said that Kazuto-chan and I could take a trip to the military police force building next week! Isn't that cool Itachi-kun!"

Itachi faced Izumi with a blank stare. Izumi stared back at him as her elated smile turned into a pout. "Hey, not all of us get to be in Anbu black ops when we're 13! This is a big deal!"

Itachi, ever the polite one, responded. "You're right. I'm sorry for downplaying your achievement."

However there was one part of her story he didn't understand. "Kazuto-chan? Is he a friend of yours?"

Izumi was scandalized. "What! No! Of course not, Kazuto is only the most adorable little brother in the world! He even reminds me of you sometimes Itachi-kun. He's a really fast learner, and some people are even calling him the next prodigy of the Uchiha. He even got let into boot camp for the Uchiha Police force, so he doesn't have to go to the academy!"

At this Itachi was mildly surprised. The Uchiha Boot Camp was an organization created shortly after he made genin. They took only the most elite children in the Uchiha and crafted them into some of the Uchiha's finest shinobi. He himself was in the program before he had to leave due to him joining ANBU.

"Impressive to say the least."

Izumi took his words as a sign of approval and spoke. "I know right! I totally want to introduce you to him someday!"

/End Flashback/

Izumi and her brother are on the wrong side of town. Madara's side of town. And he had to get there, fast.

 **~/~**

Uchiha Kazuto had felt fear. The trainers at Boot Camp were slave drivers and found many terrifying ways to give "Training" to its students. But that was nothing compared the fear he was feeling right now. This couldn't classify as fear. No, this was death given form. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't think.

He could only stand there as the other-worldly feeling gripped him. The masked man struck down Izumi-nee in a second. Even if he was in a better training program she was, he wasn't as experienced or powerful as she was. All these thoughts formed into one inside of his mind.

'I have no chance.' He watched as the man walked toward him, and he was paralyzed by fear. He didn't even put up a fight as the man slipped a lone kunai in his chest. He fell to the floor, first to his knees, and then on his stomach as he felt darkness overtake him.

 **~/~**

Itachi got to the scene. Too late. He saw the sword, still stuck in Izumi's chest as she fought to stay conscious, as if to tell him something. He saw the betrayed look on her face as he approached Madara, with his katana sheathed. "Have you finished Itachi." Itachi responded with a nod.

"Good." He caught Itachi sending a glance at the soon-to-be corpse. "You aren't thinking of sparing them, correct?"

Itachi responded smoothly. "Of course not. I'm thinking nothing of the sort. Madara, you go on ahead. I will report to the Leaf Elders."

Madara nodded, and left the vicinity. However, the Man in the Orange Mask was many things, but a fool was not among them. He discreetly planted a clone in the trees to watch and see if Itachi would spare them. If he did, a very unfortunate fate would approach him. Itachi, unknowing of this, kneeled by Izumi's side. "I'm sorry. I had to do this. "

Izumi just blinked up at him. "But, there is a way I can save you. It is a forbidden technique of the Uchiha, requiring a high price but I will sav-" Itachi was cut off by Izumi's weak voice. The painful look on her face showed that she was forcing herself to speak. "N-No. No matter what, protect Kazuto. Prot-tect him at all c-costs."

And with that Uchiha Izumi let go, and fell to the floor, never to speak again.

Madara's clone watched as Itachi let the girl die, presumably waiting to see her last words. 'Good'.

Madara thought, and the clone dispelled itself, forgetting there was one more life not yet snuffed out.

Itachi was solemn. He wanted to grieve with every fiber of his being, but he couldn't. Not yet. There was one more job to do. He walked over to the boy, passed out from blood loss. This was Uchiha Kazuto. One out of two Uchiha surviving the massacre. However that would change soon if he didn't do something. There was only one thing to do. If there were anyone in the vicinity that wasn't incapacitated, they would've seen Itachi's eyes go from the regular sharingan to a tri-starred pinwheel shape. His eye started to bleed as he whispered. 'Izanagi!'

The young boy shimmered out of existence and a new one took his place. One without a hole in his chest. He shunshined out of the village and into the Uchiha hideout, where he placed Kazuto on a bed and shunshined back to Konoha,, in order to have his last talk with the elders of his former home.

Uchiha Kazuto's eyes opened. Wait, that wasn't right. Opened? He looked around the area and it definitely wasn't the afterlife. On second inspection he found Uchiha clan symbols carved into walls and ceilings. The bed he was placed in was soft, but not overly so. He felt as if he hadn't fought a day in his life. Weird, because the last time he checked, he had a kunai in his chest. He gave himself a once-over and found that he couldn't even find traces of medical ninjutsu. This wasn't right. Where was Izumi? Where was he? He knew that he likely wouldn't find any explanation by just sitting here, so he decided to look around. He turned to exit the room when he found an invisible wall blocking him. His eyes narrowed.

'Fuuinjutsu'. He had limited fuuinjutsu training. Everyone did, really. Fuuinjutsu was somewhat of dead ninja art and knowledge was obscure. He now wondered if he was a prisoner. He shuddered. He didn't know what he would do if he was a prisoner of the masked man. The very thought was horrifying. Faced with nothing to do, he decided to do the only thing he could do.

Wait.

~/~

Itachi walked into the Uchiha Hideout to see how Kazuto was doing. As soon as he walked into the hallway that held the boy's room, he took a breath. And walked in. He saw his charge's eyes widen as soon as he entered the room . "Y-You're, your-re!"

Itachi watched the boy fidget. "You're Uchiha Itachi!"

Itachi was confused, though he didn't show it. "Why should my name be so important?"

Kazuto looked up with eyes of admiration. "Are you kidding! Uchiha Itachi, genius of the Uchiha. Spoke kindly of by even those with the highest expectations. The youngest shinobi to awaken the sharingan in decades. Likely the strongest person in the clan, second only to Shunshin no Shisui! Joined the ANBU at the age of-"

Itachi had to stop him. "Kazuto-san, I know this will be hard to take."

Kazuto's eyes widened and Itachi let out a sigh. How could he tell someone he killed their clan when they were shell-shocked merely because he knew their name? "But the Uchiha are no more."

Kazuto froze. He couldn't have possibly heard the legend in front of him correctly. There was no possible way that the mighty Uchiha had fallen. That Fugaku-sama had fallen. That his clan had fallen. That Izumi-nee had fallen. He broke down and started to cry. He tried to stop himself. He didn't want to appear weak. But he was only 10, and the pain of losing one's family is one of the most heartbreaking experiences possible in this cruel world. He was inconsolable as his sobs vertebrated off the walls of the hideout. It felt like he'd been crying forever, when he looked up to Itachi with wide, teary eyes.

"Who did it?"

He waited for an answer, and heard none. His face started to adopt a furious look. One thirsting for vengeance. "Who did it? ANSWER ME!"

Itachi's eyes were as stoic as ever when he muttered, "It was me."

 **~/~**

Kazuto's world was turned upside down. Uchiha Itachi. Role model for all Uchiha and shinobi outright, had betrayed that memory by being the executioner of his own clan. He killed the harmless man at the onigiri shop. He killed the kind old lady that would knit his scarves. He killed his family. And that would never be forgiven. "AAAAAARRGHH!"

Kazuto's battle cry was loud and his voice cracked from the grief. He ran at Itachi with full speed. The numerous titles he had told about Itachi would usually have him being extremely cautious, but all titles flew out of his mind as soon as he heard those three fatal words.

Itachi sighed as he blocked a high kick to come face to face with a punch. He slapped it away easily and struck toward Kazuto's abdomen. Usually, such a straightforward attack wouldn't work on the newest Uchiha prodigy, but the fist came so fast that one second it was deflecting his punch, and the next it was buried in his stomach.

Kazuto fell to the ground, but not for long as he started to get back up. He tried for a swift leg sweep that was jumped over by Itachi. However, using the same foot, he propelled himself in the air to meet Itachi. He threw forth a series of punches, all of which were blocked or dodged with minimal difficulty.

Itachi dodged the next hit, while pushing Kazuto forward and disrupting his balance. From there he followed up with a vicious uppercut and a series of powerful punches to the abdomen, leaving Kazuto barely standing in a haze of pain. The next elbow strike sent him crashing into the wall.

Kazuto wanted to give up. He wondered how it was possible that they were using the same taijutsu style yet Itachi was so much better than him. His moves were nothing but efficient, wasting no movements and avoiding all of his attacks as if they were nothing. He wanted to just lay down and accept defeat.

He looked at Itachi and in his sharingan eyes he remembered another pair. His sister's. 'No. I'll will finish this. I swear I will. For you, Izumi-nee.'

He ran to the left only to jump off a wall and shoot toward Itachi with a speed he didn't have before. He went for a punch on Itachi's left side which was immediately blocked. He didn't miss a beat. The punch immediately transitioned into a roundhouse with his right foot that was ducked. He then shot out his right fist and felt it connect-with Itachi's iron guard.

Itachi grabbed the fist and had to duck a left side kick. He slapped it away, putting it into an unnatural angle until he heard a sharp snap. He then took the captured fist and twisted it cleanly until he heard another snap. Snap. Snap.

As Kazuto lay on the floor, in a world of pain from having both arms and legs broken. He felt his eyes water once again. 'I couldn't do it. I'm sorry.'

He felt so helpless. He was helpless against the masked man and he was helpless against Itachi. He had to watch as his sister was killed because he didn't have enough strength to do anything about it. He eyes burned in intense self-loathing. Never. Never again would he be unable to save those he cared about. He vowed on the graves of his family. If he broke his vow, he didn't deserve to survive today. Never again would he be helpless. Never, ever again.

He looked up to Itachi standing over him, his usually stoic eyes showing a hint of compassion. But he hesitated. Could he really do this? The edges of his vision were dark, and he saw stars. He didn't have much time before he passed out. It was now or never.

"Teach me."

He let out those two simple words as darkness claimed him.


	2. Awakening

The End of an Era

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and that holds true for the entire story.**

"Hello" -Talking

'Hello' -Thinking

" **Hello** " -Biju/Summon Speak

' **Hello** ' Biju/Summon Think

Itachi was shocked. Not that he showed it. He never did. But he couldn't have heard those words correctly. Teach me? Really?

After telling someone you killed their family and then breaking all of their limbs, he expected something other than "teach me." He couldn't even consider it. Yet he found himself doing just that. Could he really teach Kazuto?

It wasn't for lack of potential. The boy was merely ten years old and performed better than a high Genin to low-level Chunin in a straight taijutsu fight. But he made up his mind.

'No, I can't. I won't. I won't allow myself to desecrate the memory of the Uchiha by turning one of their last loyal members into a missing nin. I won't. For the good of the clan. For the Uchiha.'

He thought it was funny that after all that had happened between him and his clan, he still held them in esteem. The distance between Itachi and the clan had been at tremendous heights even before the fated massacre. But here he found himself thinking about them.

And that's why he would teach Kazuto.

It was always the clan. The clan. The clan. Or the Village.

He needed to do something for himself. Something he wanted desperately.

You might wonder what someone as powerful as Itachi would want from a boy like Kazuto. And the answer was simple.

A legacy.

Of course Sasuke would always be his, in a way, but he wanted a true legacy, desperately. Someone who carried his ideals, someone who wanted peace. And that person just wasn't his dear brother.

If his plan worked correctly, Sasuke was currently obsessed with the idea of getting power, To cause his own demise of course. If someone was able to corrupt him...it wouldn't end up well. He might even leave the village. He needed someone to watch over his brother, and bring back the glory of the Uchiha, once he was no longer able to. And from that moment on, Itachi felt the need to look after Kazuto for more ways than just family.

But there was one problem.

Akatsuki.

He was to start making appearances to the group of missing nin in 3 or 4 years. Until then they were tasked to train and gather funds. An idea formed in his head. He would train Kazuto to the max for the next 3 to 4 years, and have him take on missing nin to cash in bounties. That way, he would be able to gain funds and get field experience at the same time. Of course, he would do the heavy lifting for a while, until he was ready. But it would work.

He'd make it work.

With that in his mind, he approached Kazuto's unconscious body. He had work to do. Mending bones was no pushover, after all.

 **~/~**

Kazuto's eyes opened. He felt a strange sense of deja vû, waking up on the small bed and seeing Uchiha clan symbols all over the vicinity. His mind raced to catch up with what had happened.

'Itachi!' He shot up in his bed. Wait- shot up in his bed? The overwhelming pain he thought he would feel was a slight ache in the sockets of his arms and legs. 'I guess he patched me up.'

He was wary, but considered that if Itachi wanted to kill him, he would've done it already. He got out of bed, donning a black Uchiha clan turtleneck and black shinobi pants that were set out for him on the foot of his bed. He went towards the mirror of the small bathroom located in his room. 'My room? Since when was it my room?'

He mentally shrugged. But he wondered what Itachi thought about his request. And then he started to worry.

'Getting your ass kicked and then damnding to be trained. I'm so stupid! There's no way he'll teach me. I have to go. But where? I could go stay with the cats...'

He got off of that train of thought. That wasn't an option. But what if he could be trained by Itachi? He tried to imagine the scenario.

'Itachi-sensei.'

It sounded unfamiliar but he figured he would get used to it. If he didn't thrown out for attacking him yesterday. Brushing away his thoughts, he looked in the mirror.

He was average height, and had an angular face with a smooth jawline and compassionate onyx eyes leading up to the signature raven colored hair of the Uchiha. The spiky hair seemed to gravitate to the left. He took in his appearance. He had been told many times that he was cute, handsome and even hot from the opposite sex, but he didn't see it. Why should outside appearances matter? Wasn't everything important beneath the surface?

He shook away his thoughts once again as he washed his mouth from the foamy toothpaste in it. He exited the room and went straight for the kitchen, the next room in this strange residence. A balanced meal of meat, fruit, and eggs were sitting at the table. But that wasn't all. Itachi was staring at him with piercing eyes that seemed to see through his very soul. He fidgeted. The situation was awkward. Extremely so. He decided to break the ice.

"Good Morning, Itachi."

He responded in kind. "Good morning. Now, I'm sure that you are wondering on my answer for your little demand yesterday."

Kazuto was surprised Itachi took initiative in the conversation, since he seemed the quiet type. But after letting Itachi's words register in his mind, he winced. 'It did come out as a little forceful. But hey! I broke both of my arms and legs! I should get some slack!'

He was snapped out of his reverie by Itachi's stoic voice.

"I have decided to accept. Starting tomorrow, we will start training. You have shown me combat skills, but you know nothing of what it means to be a ninja. I'm going to change that. Even the strongest men can be defeated, if they aren't well rounded."

Kazuto nodded.

"And by the way, it is now Itachi-sensei, Kazuto. Get used to it."

Kazuto wondered what he meant. Wasn't being a ninja about strength? He pondered as he asked the question that had been paining him like a constant anchor on his heart.

"Why? Why did you kill the clan? Was it out of vengeance, or hate? Because if it was, I might as well leave and go back to the village right now. I won't stand with an enemy of my clan. You may kill me, but-

Kazuto stopped as he saw the solemn look on Itachi's face. Then Itachi opened his mouth, and told him everything.

How ever since the reign of Senju Tobirama, the Nidiaime Hokage, the Uchiha have been ostracized in the village. How they were pushed back into their own corner of he village, and even given the Police Force as a scapegoat to keep them out of the affairs of the village while making them think they were doing something important.

The Uchiha were slowly being dominated by the reign of the Senju, and the Kyuubi attack made it worse. With Uchiha Madara being known to be able to control the beast, the Uchiha have been under heavy scrutiny from the village about them being responsible. It was the last straw as Fugaku and the rest of the Uchiha decided to start a coup, to break the reign of the Senju.

However, what they didn't realize was that even if they won the rebellion, which was highly unlikely, other countries would see the internal war they had and would invade. This would leave Konoha being attacked both internally and externally, and the village would fall. He told Kazuto everything. How he was ordered to take the life of every man, woman, and child in order to save the village. By Danzo. It was agreed on by the Hokage, but Danzo was the driving force.

Danzo. The mere name got Kazuto's blood boiling. He had heard of the terrible things the man had done from his sensei, including being the most insistent one to eradicate the Uchiha, murdering his sensei's best friend, and not to mention all the other cruel acts he's made in the name of "peace".

However, in averting a war, Itachi should've gotten respect, yet instead his name is spat on. He should've gotten honor, yet he is considered a disgrace. He should've gotten love, yet he got hate. As Itachi concluded his story, Kazuto was frozen in shock. He could do nothing but keep his eyes wide as dinner plates as he left the room, and collapsed under the weight of this new revelation.

His plate was left untouched.

Though Itachi's personality was as stoic as ever during the explanation, he was leaking remorse through his usually emotionless eyes. And now Kazuto had a new feeling for the older boy as well. Respect.

 **~/~**

When thinking about the chaotic events that had turned Kazuto's world inside-out, it all gravitated towards the Masked Man.

He shuddered. He didn't want to ever imagine his blood-red eye of terror ever again. He tried as hard as he could to bury those feelings, the only way he could. Training. Lots and lots of training.

He walked into the massive clearing bordered by enormous walls with the Uchiha clan insignia engraved onto them. One might wonder how it all stayed hidden. It was a hideout, after all. But Kazuto knew that the massive structures were protected by seals, making them hidden and most likely impenetrable by outside forces.

He cleared his mind as he stretched, prepping his brain for the training. His old trainer at Uchiha Boot Camp always said that combat is performed by as much mind as it is body, if not more, so he always made sure to keep a calm and clear mind while training. At least he tried to, if he couldn't indefinitely.

At first he went through the katas of the Uchiha style taijutsu, the Interceptor Fist. The style relied on deflecting, blocking, and counterattacking opponents rather than attacking straight out. Of course, what really perfected the Interceptor Fist was the usage of the sharingan. The perceptive abilities granted by the dojututsu is what the style was made for. Using he style, while formidable as it was, was like trying to walk when you had injured your leg. It's still possible, but it's not as effective.

On this line of thinking, Kazuto's face turned sour. After years of intense training, he had yet to awaken the legendary birthright of the Uchiha. He felt a burning jealousy in the pit of his stomach. Even some of his peers had awakened the Sharingan. And he was top of his class! How was it that his sensei, a boy not too far away from him in age, had not only awakened, but mastered the sharingan at age eight! He was ten and he hadn't the slightest idea when the day would come, if it would ever. Dread filled him at that thought. What if he never awakened the Sharingan?

No.

He steeled himself. Thinking that way wouldn't do him any good. The moment he gave up, it was over. And he wouldn't let it be over.

He sighed. He found himself getting lost in his thoughts more often these days. 'Maybe it's because I have a lot more to think about.' He mused.

After finishing his practice with the katas, he moved on to physical training. There was a time, long ago, where training by himself meant less of a grueling exercise.

That was not as such now.

Training by himself nowadays meant more exhaustion than with a trainer. He had always been gripped with an overwhelming desire to be the best. That was what made him ahead of his peers, even if some had awakened the Sharingan. That desire had only increased now after everything had happened. After he had found his ninja way.

His hands clenched into fists. That day, after his humiliating defeat from both the Masked Man and Itachi, he had sworn to never be helpless again. On the graves of his family, he swore to never be unable to protect those he cared about again. So he trained, and he trained, and he trained. Chakra control, Taijutsu, Physical training, and even strategic training in the form of challenges found in books and such.

Ninjutsu was something else though. Ninjutsu is where he truly shined. He found he had large reserves of chakra, even for the Uchiha. He felt bonded with his chakra, as if it was always in the shape he needed it to be, rather than having to form it to be so. Ninjutsu came easy for him. Oh how it was easy. Jutsu it took months for others to master, he could perform in a matter of weeks. Even so, he didn't have a large repertoire, opting to master the ones he did know. He spent hours upon hours a day practicing with his few ninjutsu.

He had mastered Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu

(Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique),

and Katon: Housenka no Jutsu(Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique),

the former being for his initiation as part of the clan, and the latter being the last technique taught to him by Izumi-nee.

He froze. He had been trying to keep his mind off of her ever since he woke up. Tears started to form under his eyes but he brushed them away angrily. He couldn't think about her. Not now. He didn't deserve to. Not until he was strong enough to avenge her. To kill the Man in the spiral mask. He needed to get stronger.

Other than those techniques his ninjutsu consisted of Raiton: Hari Higari no Jutsu (Electric Needle Spread Technique), and one more. A technique he made up himself.

 **/Flashback/**

'Hayato-sensei is ruthless!' The thought came into his mind much more than once. He had been running for over an hour without stopping. He couldn't. Not with the kunai being thrown right behind his heels as he sprinted. He wished he could go back to ninjutsu training. He had been training his wind element not that long ago.

His wind element. He used to think of it with shame. That was because he had two elemental affinities. Lightning and wind. Usually it would be a source of joy to have two affinities for someone this young. But not for Kazuto. This was because out of his two affinities, neither of them were fire. He used to think he brought shame to his clan.

But he had long since gotten over that certain dilemma. Now he had started to train the wind element, though it wasn't his main, and held nothing but pride for it. He had been working on creating his own jutsu creating the wind element. His sensei had once told him the upside of the wind was that it was the most versatile. It can pierce like a blade or slam like a hammer.

So he had practiced trying to exhale a ball of air that turned into wire when it made contact with the target. And that's where he was now. Failing to capture the target in his last training exercise for boot camp, so now he was stuck enduring this torture.

He winced as the edge of a kunai sliced his heel. He picked up the pace as he kept going. He needed to perfect that jutsu. He couldn't keep enduring this. He looked back and saw his sensei chasing him with a sadistic smile on his face. Anger festered in his gut.

And he did something crazy.

Turning around with a look of intense concentration on his face, he shouted. Fuuton: Kessoku Sen (Wind Release: Binding Wire)

His sensei, being a Jounin, dodged to the side but was unprepared for the length of the invisible wire to bind him within its grasp. Kazuto was shocked that it worked. 'I've really done it now! I'm sorry Izumi-nee, I'll be waiting for you in the afterlife!'

His eyes widened and he tensed, half prepared to run away as fast as he could, and half prepared to apologize profusely. He chose the latter.

"Sensei, I'm so sorry it's just I didn't think it was gonna work and I-" he got cut off by his sensei.

"No kid. If it was anyone's fault, it's mine. Getting caught by a genin's jutsu." He mumbled.

Kazuto's elated smile was seen by everyone in the facility that day.

 **/End Flashback/**

From that day on, it had been one of his favorite techniques. He would use it as a game winner to use with a follow-up attack. This was especially effective when used with the fireball jutsu, because of the fact that wind intensifies flame.

Alas, he couldn't study ninjutsu as much as he wanted to. He had other arts to practice. And practice he did.

By the time night fell, he was lying on the ground, exhausted. His large chakra reserves had been diminished. He was dead tired. Yet he got up, went back to his room in the hideout, and fell asleep.

Preparing to do it all again the next day.

 **~/~**

Itachi was up early. He always was. It was part of his nature as well as the nature of all shinobi. Which is why he wouldn't stand for Kazuto staying in bed like a petty slob. He needed to show that he was worth Itachi's left eye. It had been a hard decision, and one he didn't want to make. But he did. Right after dropping off Kazuto's unconscious body at the hideout, he plucked out his blind eye, being rendered useless from using izanagi, and implanted Shisui's eye in his hollow socket. Granted their eyes were the same color as with most Uchiha, but if he activated the Mangekyou, one would definitely see the difference. He had a pinwheel shaped eye with three points, while Shisui's Mangekyou had four. He hoped it would stay a secret, but no secret was kept forever.

Shaking himself from his line of thinking, he went to Kazuto's room at dawn. Itachi readied his fingers.

Suiton:Teppoudama (Water Release: Gunshot). He shot a cold, albeit low powered water bullet at Kazuto's sleeping form. It was a testament to his reflexes that he managed dodge the initial attack, but the splash still caught him. And it was a big splash. Itachi watched as his new student spit and sputtered. "Meet me in the clearing in five minutes." And he left.

Kazuto walked into the training ground to see Itachi waiting there. Which was weird in itself. He had expected a test, or something. He mumbled under his breath. "Kai." Itachi kept waiting, never wavering a bit. He had his arms crossed and looked at Kazuto with his signature stoic look. "Come. I want to see your prowess, and quite frankly our last fight wasn't really ideal."

Kazuto thought to himself while holding a tiny smirk.

'No, no it wasn't.' Kazuto drew four kunai in between his fingers. He threw one at Itachi, and threw one in a wide arc, but using the chakra seeking technique, it turned around to hit Itachi from a different angle. Meanwhile, the last two were sent flying in the same direction, looking like a failed throw, when they deflected off of each other, sending one more toward Itachi and burying the other in a tree. This all happened in the span of no more than 3 seconds. He kept his face concentrated, but on the inside he smirked.

'He's already finished. Nobody can dodge that combo.'

He was wrong. It wasn't until that moment he realized who he was dealing with. Itachi jumped through the path of two kunai, twisting his body in such precise motions that his Anbu gear wasn't even nicked. Kazuto's eyes widened and thought to himself in disbelief. 'N-no way! The timing and precision needed for that dodge is impossible!' Apparently, not for Itachi. This only reinforced his belief in his teacher. If he could be taught by someone like that... But that's when he realized something. He had laced the two blades Itachi jumped between with wind chakra. Meaning that he should've at least sensed Itachi's presence within the field... His eyes widened. "Genjutsu Kai!" He found himself staring at a substitution. 'But when? How?' His mind was racing with thoughts on when Itachi could've caught him in Genjutsu when the aforementioned man spoke.

"Always look underneath the underneath." It's a saying by a great shinobi, and you should take it to heart. A genjutsu was layered with a second genjutsu. You might've dispelled the first one, but the second one was still there.

Kazuto's eyes took on a skeptic look.

"Genjutsu through eye contact, and without hand seals. I've never heard of such a thing."

Itachi's emotionless demeanor didn't change a bit when he spoke.

"You'll see a lot of things you've never seen, and hear a lot of things you've never heard. Now, let's start."

And he did. First Itachi broke apart everything he knew about the Uchiha style taijutsu, and pretty much retaught him the style. However his biggest advancement in taijutsu was that of Itachi taught him his own style, a mix of the interceptor fist,ruthless anbu style taijutsu, and movements he had copied from enemies over the years. It was merciless. The style was designed to incapacitate as soon as possible. Wasting no movements and striking at vulnerable points in the body with no mercy.

Next, he had taught him Genjutsu. Nothing super advanced, those would come with his sharingan. Genjutsu was Itachi's chosen art. He was a true master in every sense of the word. Some say he has surpassed even Uchiha Madara in the art, the strongest Uchiha to ever live. Genjutsu wasn't the former clan head's chosen art, but that didn't matter. The legend was a man who had perfected all arts of the Uchiha, and the man Kazuto planned to surpass. Then would be able to protect anyone and everyone who needed him.

Kazuto had learned to place subtle Genjutsu on the battlefield. Things like depth perception, the number of kunai one has in his pouch, etc. However, he was just itching to learn ninjutsu. His mouth practically watered from all of the strong jutsu Itachi must've copied during his battles. And boy was Kazuto excited.

'I hope Itachi-sensei doesn't take it easy on me!'

 **~/~**

'Can't Itachi-sensei take it easy on me!'

He had anime tears running down his face as he dodged another fireball. He and Itachi had been having a fierce ninjutsu battle. The smoke from the explosion was still masking Itachi's location. He decided to draw him out. Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release:Phoenix Flower Jutsu)

Mini fireballs shot in different directions proved fruitless until steam was heard to his right, presumably from a Suijinheki (Water Encampment Wall)

He followed the steam and shot out his original jutsu. "Fuuton: Kessoku Sen (Wind Release: Binding Wire)

The ball of air shot toward the mist, clearing it as it went. He threw two kunai, and saw Itachi preparing to dodge, most likely assuming he would use the chakra sensing technique. But he had one more ace in the hole. Something Itachi couldn't dodge. "

Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.(Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu)"

Two kunai turned into twenty as Itachi found himself hard pressed to dodge. Now, Itachi had dealt with much worse situations and gotten out of them. But today he had a handicap. He only had his fists. He wasn't allowed to use weapons of any kind. And that's why the kunai struck Itachi straight in the heart.

Kazuto's eyes widened in panic and shock. He rushed to Itachi's falling body and prepared to treat the bleeding body. Liquid seeped out of Itachi's wound. But it wasn't blood. It was water.

'Mizu Bunshin!' Kazuto turned around. 'Then that means-!'

"Too late." Itachi's voice sounded behind him. He found himself being pulled into the ground until only his head was visible. Itachi stood, looking down on him. "

Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Headhunter Technique)

Kazuto was bummed, and Itachi could see it. The latter waited for him to speak.

"It's just that I thought ninjutsu was something I was good at. Ninjutsu was supposed to be where I shined, and you beat me easily."

Itachi looked on with a hint of emotion. "Did you expect to win?"

Kazuto was flustered. "Well, no-" He was interrupted by Itachi.

"If you didn't expect to win then what are you trying to prove? You are a mediocre ninja now, but I intend to make you so much more..."

Itachi continued speaking. "You are of the Uchiha clan, correct?"

Kazuto nodded.

"Then act like it. Uchiha don't whine. Uchiha are strong." Itachi stepped forward and pulled a scroll out of one of the pockets of his ANBU gear.

"You want to be worthy of the name Uchiha? Master this technique. Prove I didn't make a mistake in making you my student."

For an emotionless guy, Itachi was very good at pep talks. He had never worked on something in his life as hard as he did with the technique. Itachi had given him one demonstration, and that was it. But that was enough.

 **3 weeks Later**

"Show me what you've learned." That was what he had been waiting for. He stepped forward, flashed through hand seals and grinned. Katon:Goryuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu)

The flames took shape into the head of an enormous dragon. Menacing yellow eyes flashed as the technique shot forward at high speeds.

He looked at Itachi and the satisfied glint in his eyes and his tiny nod meant more to him than he'd like to admit.

"Good. Now, the real training begins."

 **2 years later**

Kazuto Uchiha was different. He looked different, his face having lost more baby fat. He moved different, now with the silence of a trained ninja. He acted different, having adopted traits from his teacher. He performed different.

Since the last two years Kazuto had undergone a major power boost. Though he had only learned one ninjutsu technique, his other fields had grown exponentially. He had taken up training weights in the form of gravity seals, as to not stunt his growth. He was now about half as fast a Itachi himself, which was faster than most experienced Chunin. His genjutsu had grown as well, and he was now able to perform small genjutusu upon eye contact. His analytical mind had also grown, not through games like shogi, though he did play. But through real planning situations. He and Itachi had been going after rouge ninja and Itachi would insist that Kazuto plan out all movements, from tracking to capture. The rogue ninja were needed for their bounties, as Itachi had to gather funds for an organization known as the Akatsuki.

He shuddered. Itachi had told him about the secretive group, with members so powerful they were ranked S-class. He had no doubt they could all beat him without even trying, just as Itachi could do. The worst part about it was their leader. The Masked Man. He had heard about the secret leader manipulating the group behind the scenes. His eyes burned in hatred. One day, when he was strong enough. He would kill the Masked Man. No matter what it took. He would sacrifice his own life if need be. To avenge his family. He would come after the manipulative elders in time, but first he would take out the Masked Man.

He shook his head, the intensity in his eyes dimming. 'What am I talking about? At my current level he would destroy me without breaking a sweat.'

He had learned one ninjutsu technique. A defensive one, as all of his attacks were offensive. The Ration: Kyuutai Tate no Jutsu (Sphere Shield Technique)

The user generates Raiton chakra all around him that spans 1 meter. That creates a dome that can block all taijutsu attacks, and most ninjutsu. However, the user has to stay stationary. He loved the technique.

It gave him time to think out a strategy, and he had yet to run into an opponent with ninjutsu strong enough to pierce the shield. The stationary drawback was something he's trying to modify. 'If I can modify the lightning chakra in the dome, I can use it to spark outwards and..."

BOOM!

The dome had shot a burst of uncontrolled lightning chakra forward. Now, if only he could find a way to control it...

He spent the rest of the day training his technique. He was glad he only learned one new ninjutsu. That way, he could properly master the rest. He could now perform the most of his jutsu with a single hand sign, and in the case of the Fire Ball Jutsu, a one-handed hand seal. His lightning jutsu had been easiest though. He still remembered when he and Itachi worked on his affinities.

 **/Flashback/**

Itachi met Kazuto in the clearing. "Kazuto, we're going to do something different today."

Kazuto got an eager look on his face. "Are you finally gonna teach me the thing you do with the crows! That's badass!"

Itachi's face was averse to Kazuto's. One was stoic and calm. The other was about to explode.

"We're going to test your elemental affinity."

He took out a sheet of paper that had a sheen of power to it. "This is chakra paper. Channel your chakra into it to see what elemental affinity. If the paper burns, it's fire. If it gets wet, it's water. If it crumbles, it's Earth. If it gets wrinkled, it's lightning. If it gets cut, its wind."

Kazuto didn't wait to hear his explanation. He channeled his chakra into the paper immediately. The paper immediately wrinkled in on itself so completely, the paper was just a crumpled ball on the floor. As Kazuto got near it to pick it up, it split.

Kazuto jumped. "What did that mean? Lightning, and I guess a secondary affinity to wind?"

He spoke his thoughts aloud and was given a nod in response. His sensei spoke. "You have an extremely strong lightning affinity. I've never seen such a high compatibility to and element, other than, perhaps the water affinity of the Nidiame Hokage."

Kazuto practically glowed at the compliment. He had learned that with Itachi, compliments were few and far between, so he savored the ones he got.

/End Flashback/

Kazuto was proud of how his ninja skills have grown, but none more so than kenjutsu.

He had excelled. The sword felt like it was his will taken form. In the art of Kenjutsu, Kazuto was a genius.

Itachi had given Kazuto his katana he used when he was in ANBU as a gift. The fine material made for ANBU was chakra conductive, and he had taken to channeling lightning chakra to his sword. The potency of his lightning chakra not only increased its cutting power, but its piercing power as well. As a result of intense training, he could paralyze victims with his sword as well as fire off small bolts of lightning chakra. His prowess only improved over the years. And they would improve more.

He'd make sure of it.

 **Four Years After the Massacre**

"ITACHI!"

An anguished cry erupted from Kazuto's mouth as he saw his sensei and admittedly, best friend, slump to the floor.

"NOOOOOO!"

Biwa Juzo smiled sinisterly, stretching out the x-mark on his right cheek. His kubikiribocho was rapidly repairing itself. It was, after all, one of the legendary seven swords of the mist.

"I told you. It is futile. If Uchiha Itachi himself couldn't stand up to me, you've got no chance, boy! At least he gave me a workout, you weren't even a warmup!"

Itachi lost balance in front of his student. The genius of the Uchiha slowly sank to his knees before hitting the dirt, face first.

Rojo.

Rot.

Rosso.

Rouge.

In whatever language, the fact of the matter is, Kazuto saw red.

"AHHHHHH!" He felt like a nuclear bomb exploded in his head as he released the tiger seal, along with all of his chakra. Intense white-hot flames were shot out in every direction, burning Juzo severely. However, he managed to dodge the brunt of the attack, as he wasn't an S-ranked shinobi for nothing.

 **/Flashback/**

"Why is Kumo so faaaaar!" Kazuto whined. "I feel like my legs are going to fall off!"

Itachi's cool and collected voice met his ears. "We still have two days of travel Kazuto, so stop whining. I taught you better than that."

Kazuto's pout didn't budge. "Chill out Itachi! We won't get attacked because of me talking about how unbelievably unfair this is!"

Itachi looked on with a blank stare.

"Knock on-" Itachi looked around, panning his vision from left to right. No wood. They were screwed. "Shit! Hit the deck!"

Kazuto almost tripped over himself in shock due to his sensei's uncharacteristic attitude. A small pulse of chakra led him to believe it wasn't a Genjutsu, though the thoughts were quickly erased by seeing Itachi scanning the area cautiously. He got into a battle-ready position.

However, Itachi had sensed something Kazuto had saw his sensei throw a pair of kunai into some nearby shrubbery. A team of four hunter ninja from Kiri, shown by their headbands, appeared right in front of them.

Kazuto had the decency to look guilty, but only for a second before they jumped into action.

The first hunter nin started off the battle.

 **"Kirigakure no Jutsu** "

A thick mist started floating around in the area, blinding their sights. Kazuto used a trick he had learned over the years, and enhanced his reflexes using lightning chakra. Even so, it was barely enough as he threw himself to the right to avoid the point of a tanto from one of the Kiri ninja.

Kazuto jumped up in the air, away from the mist, and seemingly left himself open to attack, as he couldn't dodge in midair. The hunter nin threw kunai and shuriken at him, but he countered deftly.

 **"Fuuton: Daitoppa"**

A large gust of wind blew the projectiles at their attackers and cleared the mist simultaneously. A large fireball from Itachi intercepted the gust of wind in midair and turned into an extremely intense heat.

Three of the hunter nin escaped the blast with a well timed jump. The other wasn't so lucky. A short lived scream was the last sound he made.

With the mist cleared, a taijutsu fight was engaged, with Itachi taking on two at a time and Kazuto being left with the last one.

Not to take that as easy, seeing as Kazuto was on the edge. He was barely parrying every tanto strike with his own sword and even then he ended up with frequent gashes across his torso.

Kazuto prepared for the overhead slash only for it to transition into a side cut which he dodged by a hair. 'What is this guy! This is insane! Are these the kind of battles Itachi-sensei participates in?'

He stole a quick glance at Itachi, who was acting for all the world as if it was him with the numerical advantage.

'Damn, why does everything sensei do look so badass?'

He ejected himself from his thought as he earned a deep gash to the side for his distraction. His opponent attempted a leg sweep which was followed by a confusing mixture of sword strikes as well as elbow and knee attacks. Kazuto jumped backwards, and Itachi jumped back with him. "Sensei, combo attack 17!"

 **"Suiton: Great Waterfall Technique"**

The pond not too far away from their battle area was converted into a massive waterfall converging upon the enemy. Kazuto smirked.

'My turn.'

 **"Raiton: Electric Needle Spread Technique"**

Small needles by the hundreds were shot into the waterfall, making it extremely deadly. Kazuto thought for a moment that all of the hunter nin would get caught up into the maelstrom, but two of the teammates used the third as a boost to escape. Kazuto winced in sympathy. Though he needed to be a shinobi in order to maintain his ninja way, he hated killing.

He saw one of the hunter nin making hand signs and looked at the eyes behind the mask, they were full of hatred. He mentally shuddered. He hated that look. Instantly a fireball came from the mouth of the man and a quick kawarimi saved Kazuto. He looked back toward his opponents only to find Itachi had appeared behind the two and ended their lives with a swift flick of his kunai. His sensei looked at Kazuto with stoic eyes and gestured his hand out, his akatsuki ring gleaming. "Come."

Kazuto was about to walk off with him when he realized something. 'Doesn't Itachi-sensei wear his akatsuki ring on his other hand? Genjutsu!'

A pulse of chakra revealed the world as Itachi having an intense staring match with his opponent. He knew the battle was over then. No one could beat Itachi-sensei in genjutsu. However, he shifted his view in front of him. One of the hunter nin had used the short time he was in genjutsu to charge at him. And he was close.

Too close.

'No no no! Not now, I can't die! I have to kill the Masked Man!'

But he knew. At the speed the hunter nin was going, it would be impossible to dodge. His brain simply couldn't keep up. As the tanto of his opponent came dangerously close to his chest, he thought. 'I'm going to die. I'm sorry, Itachi-sensei.'

As he focused on the gleam of the tanto inches from his chest, the world slowed. All the world was clear, like he had never seen correctly before. Everything was in perfect detail, and he could see everything, as if he could predict the man's movement before he actually performed them... Using chakra to enhance his speed, he sidestepped the blade, spun quickly, and planted his blade in the hunter nin's chest.

His new sharingan eyes spun dangerously as he glared into his opponent's dying eyes. The aforementioned man's eyes widened in shock. "U-Uchiha! How-w...!"

He fell to the ground with a dull thud. Kazuto's eyes widened. His first kill. At least his first directly. He had never killed unless it was a combination attack with Itachi. His sharingan had captured the whole scene in perfect detail. He threw up a little in his mouth remembering the man's eyes slowly lose their light. A quick glance toward Itachi showed his teacher quickly knocking out a man with glazed-over eyes.

He staggered where he stood, until his instincts screamed at him to move. He jumped backward, in the direction of Itachi, until he saw a sight that brought fear into his eyes. A sword was planted right where he was standing seconds before. But not just any sword. The Executioner's Blade. Biwa Juzo, one of the seven swordsman of Kiri and an S-rank shinobi.

The tall man hefted his kubikirihocho over his shoulder with no difficulty and grinned a predatory smile. "Thanks for taking care of them for me. Now, let me return the favor."

 **/End Flashback/**

Juzo' dodge of his inferno surprised him and he backpedaled away. 'Letting him use his sword is suicide. I have to make some room.'

However, as fast as he was retreating, Juzo was advancing twice as quickly. 'It won't be long before he's on me. I have to move!'

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi watched from a nearby tree, as his student took on one of the most dangerous men on the continent. He wasn't worried. If Kazuto lost, which he most surely will, Itachi would step in. Juzo was under Genjutsu anyway, masking Itachi's presence in the trees. Kazuto however, was so deep into his rage that he couldn't even sense him. He chuckled and watched the battle play out, content in his plan. Until he looked up. Kazuto's flames had shot everywhere, including the sky, and now there were dark rain clouds hovering over the battle area.

'No, this will not be good.' He moved to jump to the battle area, and looked up at the sky anxiously and in the moment that he saw blue streaks flashing across the sky. He had a single moment to morph his eyes into their pinwheel shape. As he was covered in red, skeletal, ribs, he watched as Kazuto and everyone around him were obliterated by an enormous white bolt of lightning.

 **~/~**

Pain.

And the color white. That was his world for the last two months. Being struck by lightning, and chakra induced lightning at that, was no pushover. He should've died. It was a miracle, they said. His chakra had miraculously integrated the lightning into his chakra network, and the doctors had told him that with enough practice and talent, he would be able to replicate the lightning using only his chakra. He looked at his caramel colored skin, a long lasting henge performed by Itachi before he was delivered to a hospital off the coast of one of Kumo's many islands. He was buried under his thoughts until he heard a soft sound. A caw alerted him to a crow landing on the windowsill. He had always liked this specific crow, and he felt like it was almost a part of him.

It was a medium sized bird that had jet black feathers and was normal. One might even say remarkably unremarkable.

Except for one thing. It was missing one of its eyes.

"Suka Akizo, time for your chakra rehabilitation. Come with me."

With a grunt, Kazuto obeyed his false name, got up, and followed him into the hall.

 **~/~**

His eyes were forced shut by a blinding light as the bolt of lightning struck. He felt his Susanoo groan at the force it was withstanding. And then, it was over.

Without a second of downtime, he rushed down to Kazuto immediately. Kazuto couldn't die. He was Itachi's legacy, he was the world's path to peace. He had known it ever since Kazuto he had saw him that fateful day. His drive to succeed seemed unstoppable, and if anyone could create peace, it would be him. The boy was family, after all.

He had only improved since then. And he couldn't die.

He rushed upon the scene to see Kazuto lying perfectly still. A rushed look to the left showed Juzo's body charred beyond belief. Yet Kazuto's was not. He was as still as a board, with violent arcs of the lighting from the sky, surrounding him. He didn't look damaged at all. If anything, he looked healthier.

Itachi didn't waste a second. He picked up Kazuto, and almost dropped him because of the excruciating pain of the lightning biting into his skin. When he moved his hands to avoid the pain, the lightning moved with it. It was almost as if it was protecting him.

And even as the smell of burning flesh wafted into the air, he pushed forward, and forward, and forward.

He would not fail.

As he stood outside of Shifuku hospital, Itachi transformed his charge into a caramel-skinned man with a round jaw and flat, straight hair. Using the last of his chakra, he changed his ragged appearance into that of a simple farmer. He quickly signed into the nearest inn and after a silent check of the room, crashed into bed immediately.

'Sleep.' He thought. It had never sounded better.

Yet unknowingly to even Itachi in his constant vigilance, a pair of yellow eyes left the window and retreated into the darkness.

 **~/~**

Kazuto was finishing the last test of many at the hospital. He longed to be free from the wires, and the food, and the smell.

'At this point, I'd cut off my own arm to leave this hospital! But would I have to come back?'

He stopped pondering as he tuned into the doctor's droning voice.

"And I think you'll be ready to go. Just don't overexert your chakra too much for the next couple of days.

Kazuto's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah doc! You can't count on me! I won't even use chakra for a week!"

The next day

"Ugh. I think I'm suffering from chakra exaustion."

Kazuto said while lying spread-eagle on the floor. "Back to lightning manipulation. Man! I wouldn't be doing this if the lightning strike hadn't shot my chakra control to hell."

As soon as he got out of the hospital, he immediately tried using his chakra. The result was... unpleasant. Otherwise known as, Kazuto getting first degree burns and being blasted across the training field. He found he couldn't even perform a simple kawarimi, and thus started the journey of Kazuto self-rehabilitating his chakra. Oh, it would be a long road.

 **~/~**

Zetsu was a simple, yet complicated being. He lived to carry on the will of his master. His true master. So looking at this false imitation he had to follow orders from was infuriating. But all was well. His mother would be reborn, soon enough.

A cold voice called out to him. "Zetsu. Have you acquired what I have asked you for?"

Zetsu's vine-like hands stretched out to show the object inside of them. To a normal person, it was impossible to see what was there, considering the looming darkness of the cave they used as their current hideout. But to his false leader's blessed eyes, it couldn't have been more visible. A single long, raven colored hair.

Zetsu spoke sinisterly. "The DNA of Uchiha Itachi, as you asked."

Fiercely intense rippled eyes started to narrow. Their lavender color was glowing in the pitch darkness.

"This is the first step to peace. The first step to understanding. The first step to Pain."

"Zetsu. Let us start the first step to peace.

Begin Phase One."

 **AN: And that's chapter 2! Tell me what you guys liked, or what you didn't like. Pairings? Or even the direction that this story will go in. There's so much room in the Naruto universe, and so many places to put your character in. Remember, criticism is always welcome. It's the key to getting better as a writer. Thanks for the support and make sure to Fav, Follow, and review!**

 **Ace**


	3. New Faces! New Places!

"Hello" -Talking

 _'Hello'_ -Thinking

 **"Hello" -Biju/Summon Speak**

 _ **'Hello'**_ **-Biju/Summon Think**

 **4 years after the massacre**

Uchiha Kazuto was alone. Truly alone. He had no friends, being a ninja that wasn't even supposed to be alive ensured that. He had no family, since Itachi had gone to perform his duties with the Akatsuki. Even his lifestyle was lonely, moving from town to town, city to city, village to village. Learning techniques, gaining knowledge, gaining power.

His time wasn't completely wasted however, as he would help the people of the cities his visited, as a way to repay them. He had once even helped out the Land of Snow, or Yukigakure, until Hatake Kakashi's genin team took on the job. The chakra of the blond one felt weird though, almost… feral.

Returning to his journeying thoughts, he would prefer if he didn't have to help. He really wished there were no problems to help with. No orphaned children, no widowed wives. But he never regretted helping even once, no matter how tedious the job. Giving back didn't seem like it would be as fulfilling as it really was.

He was now on his way to Chisaka Town, his next stop in order to rest after a long day of training. It was a town known for gambling, and bars, but it was a place to stay nonetheless. After a short time, humming to himself and murmuring along the way, he entered the small town.

He wrinkled his nose in response to the pungent smell of alcohol running through the town. He walked into a small general store, in order to get information on quality inns or places to stay. It was a small place with everything from over the counter medications, to candy bars and snacks.

He stood, his silent footsteps making no noise as he approached the line. His eyes narrowed as he heard a slurred and loud voice, yelling at the man over the counter.

"Hey! Any of you know where the fucking bar is! I've been wanting some godamn saki ever since I stepped into this piece of shit town!"

Kazuto scowled, he could smell the stench of alcohol, on the man from a mile away. Probably too drunk to even remember where the bar was. The man was quite imposing, to a civilian. His shoulders were broad, and his arms wide, but he had a round stomach, as if his strength came from weight, rather than practice. The cashier meekly replied, his skinny form almost instinctively shying away from the man.

"Sir, the bar should be straight down the street to the right."

The man scowled. "Damn well better be or else I'm coming back to this shit stain of a store and you won't like it!"

He stumbled out of the store, knocking over some items as he went.

The lady in front of him continued to the counter looking not at all disturbed by the man that had just left the store in a drunken haze. "Hello, I was told that there were certain herbs I needed to buy here."

The lady had a slim figure, with short black hair and wearing a black robe, she also held a small pig in her hand as she stood.

She took the necessary herbs after pushing some ryō over the counter, and took her leave. As she walked out, her footsteps were dead silent, leaving Kazuto to believe that she was a kunoichi herself.

 _'Who's that? Rogue ninja maybe? Hmm... I'll make sure to find out.'_

Despite his thoughts, he stepped up to the counter to meet a man with a rather plain face, along with flat brown hair and glasses.

"Sir, do you happen to know where any good inns are? I am looking for a place to stay."

The man smiled, glad that he didn't have to deal with another unsavory customer. It appeared that he believed, judging from Kazuto's dark clothes and shadowed face, that he would have some trouble.

"The Tanuwabi inn should be straight and to the left, Sir."

Kazuto nodded and left the store, on the way to his next bed.

 **~/~**

Shizune was annoyed. Of course she would never show that to Tsunade-sama, but always having to go out every night, every town, to make new batches of hangover cure was exhausting. It got tiring quickly.

She heard light footsteps of someone behind her after she left the general store. She thought it would be the young man she saw behind her, with the dark eyes and attractive face. She blushed. She felt as if she had seen him somewhere before, in The Land of Rivers perhaps? She shook her head, as if it would clear her jumbled thoughts. It was irrelevant now.

She turned around to see that the person following her was still on her tail. She then started to get mad.

 _'I don't want to have to knock this one out too.'_

She turned the next corner, and then the next. It had become clear, they were definitely following her. She went to turn around and face him or her when she saw someone else drop down behind her. And another. Soon she was faced with 4 men, glaring at her menacingly. She tensed, and held Tonton in a protective manner. The man in front of her grinned, baring his yellowed and crooked teeth.

"Hey girlie, care to do us a favor?"

Shizune scowled. "After you'd do me one and piss off." She threw an almost invisible needle into the darkness. It was embedded with a powerful paralytic which would knock out the victim almost instantly. However, she was beyond surprised when he deftly pulled out a kunai and deflected it at a high speed.

 _'They're shinobi. This isn't good. I need to get back to Tsunade-sama.'_

She fled into the night, dodging kunai and shuriken as she went. She was almost there. Until one more intercepted her, and she stopped. He held up a hand, causing the rest of them to stop. Their leader. He didn't start with the small talk. He charged at her, and she was already had the disadvantage by carrying Tonton, causing her to barely dodge.

"Sorry, girl, but today isn't your lucky day."

He charged once again and this time was able to unravel her footing with a swift kick to the shin, causing her to almost let go of Tonton in her distraction.

And that's when she was caught.

 **Doton: Earth Prison**

She was captured by hardening rock gripping her waist and arms. The leader spoke and his terrible breath invaded her nose, causing it to wrinkle. "Guys, take the money and supplies. After that, well." He held a smug grin. "You boys can have some fun."

Shizune struggled against the jutsu, her fear being amplified by the lecherous looks of the men, staring at areas of her body she preferred not to have stared at. The man merely smiled at her attempt.

"Get her, boys!"

The closest men to her leapt forward, the first man's hand slowly inching toward her. And stopped.

A strong hand intercepted the other man's hand cold in its tracks. The man who had saved her spoke menacingly.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that to happen."

 **~/~**

Kazuto's eyes gleamed in rage. He broke the man's hand in one swift motion, and leapt into action.

The three men remaining after the leader departed surrounded him, and charged. He parried, blocked, and attacked smoothly, with perfect footwork and stances. Itachi wouldn't allow anything less. Punches flew, only to be swiftly deflected and transformed into grapples and brutal counterattacks. It wasn't until the three men drew their kunai, and in the case of one, a nodachi. The man with the nodachi charged first, while the rest waited by the sidelines.

A telegraphed side slash was thrown first but Kazuto spun and unleashed his own katana, a gift given by Itachi. Though he hadn't taken it out of the scabbard, it would be enough to deal with these men. Anything would be enough to deal with these men. They were trash, so far beneath him they hardly deserved to live. Held in a reverse grip, he batted the sword away and got into closer quarters. He then captured the man's sword arm, twisting it sideways and then following up with a brutal palm strike to the nose and to be paired with a knockout blow with the butt of his sword.

Outraged, the other two men ran forward, and were dispatched with even less difficulty than the first.

He then faced the woman trapped in the Earth jutsu, and channeled lighting chakra in his hand. But this wasn't just lightning chakra. It was pure lightning. He saw the woman's eyes widen in fear, as if he'd saved her just to hurt her himself. He sent a harmless wave of the lightning, diluted enough to not cause any harm to her, and the Earth jutsu crumbled away instantly.

The guarded look in her eyes remained even after he freed her. She opened her mouth to speak, her eyes grateful and conflicted.

"Who are you, and why did you save me?"

He gave off a charming grin. "My name is Kazuto. As for why I saved you... Well, I guess I was feeling charitable. Savor it while you can, because it doesn't happen often."

 **~/~**

 _'If this isn't awkward, I don't know what is.'_

Kazuto was currently waiting outside the door of a room at the inn he was staying at. However, it wasn't his room.

"Shizune! Where have you been! I was about to go out there myself!"

Kazuto refrained from covering his ears, but the volume of the woman's voice was extremely loud. It was especially awkward when he had no visual of the situation, calling for him to stare at the wall as the woman he had saved was berated.

He sighed inaudibly, as he had learned to do over the years. _'I guess it's a force of habit.'_

He had brought the woman, with much encouragement from her, to the inn, as they were staying in the same building. Because of this, the friendly woman made it a point to walk with him to the inn. She was wary of him at first, but afterwards, she warmed up and even offered a reward. He politely declined, but she insisted that he meet her master, and supposedly she could find something to give him.

Not to be cocky, but he doubted that her master was stronger than he was. He was trained by the best, after all. He wondered what she could possibly give him. He didn't need or want money. He had no hobbies, other than training. Techniques were out of the running as he probably would either have no need for them or have stronger ones, if he didn't know the technique already.

 _'You know what, I'm sure she won't be terrible mad if I left, and I'll never see her agai-'_

"Who's outside the door?" The master of the woman had a booming voice that he somehow knew would reach his ears even if she whispered.

He tensed, and got ready to either fight, or leave if her master proved to be unfriendly. However he showed none of it as he walked into the room confidently. "That would be me. You know I just came here at her request so I really must be leav-"

His eyes widened. His jaw dropped. It took all of his willpower not to yell out in surprise.

"Tsunade of the Sannin! She's your master!"

"Don't wear it out brat. You'll learn to regret it. Now, the only reason you're here and not kicked halfway to Iwa for eavesdropping right now is because you saved Shizune, my apprentice. Otherwise you'd have a fist shaped scar on you for the rest of your life. As for that, here."

She held out a crumpled pile of wrinkled ryō, usually the amount one would use to tip a waiter. Kazuto's eyes narrowed. If she thought he was gonna take money, she was sadly mistaken.

"No."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed even further. Her eyes showed the faintest hint of unbridled rage, as though showing she wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.

"No? Did you just say no? I generously gave out money from my own pocket, and you won't take it?"

Kazuto gulped. Maybe this was a bad idea. But he went through with it. It was too late for anything else now.

"I don't want money. If you want to give me something of value. Teach me something. One of your medical ninjutsu. Then I'll call it even."

Tsunade's eyes now showed the flames of anger. You think you can demand me of something like that! You probably don't even have the chakra control! You? Wanting to learn medical ninjutsu?"

She scoffed. "You're probably not even half as talented as you need to be to perform medical ninjutsu."

Now it was Kazuto's turn to get angry. "Oh I have the chakra control alright!" Memories of fierce training with his master flew through his mind. "And as for the talent part..." Kazuto looked into her eyes. In order to change her mind, he needed to do something drastic. "Fight me. Everything goes. If I beat you, you teach me medical ninjutsu, or at least the basics."

Tsunade's quickly interjected. "And if I win? What will I get then?" Kazuto raised his hand to show a polished steel ring that Kazuto held up to the light. It was a gift from Itachi. Given to him on the final day of his training. The day he set out on his own.

 **/Flashback/**

 **Almost a year prior**

Kazuto stood in front of Itachi. Back straightened, and looking somber. For this was the last day of his training. The last day with Itachi.

"Sensei. Where will you go?" Kazuto knew he was going to perform his duties as a member of the Akatsuki, but where?

He didn't want this to be the last time they saw each other. Even though Kazuto was uncomfortable at first with Itachi. He grew to admire the older Uchiha. He now looked up to him as an older brother, and became quite used to the calm, serene environment he exuded. Waking up at dawn for training, then drinking tea with Itachi for breakfast. The profound talks about dreams in life as well as dreams for the world really got Kazuto thinking.

But not anymore.

It was over now, maybe for good. They had been standing there for a while when Itachi broke the silence. "There is no specific place to where I go. Hideouts change frequently. We never stay in one place for too long."

Kazuto tilted his head down. He tried to hide his eyes that were slowly starting to water. "So this is where we part ways, is it?"

Itachi smiled. "Not forever Kazuto. Keep this with you, at all times."

He pulled from his cloak a sleek still ring with the kanji for scarlet on it. Kazuto was utterly confused.

"Sensei, I mean, I like you and all but I don't swing that way. Like I don't know if I was giving off the wrong message bu-"

Itachi swiftly smacked Kazuto over the head for his stupidity. He then held up his hand to show that he had almost the same ring as the one he gave Kazuto.

"This ring is a similar one to the ones we use in the Akatsuki. Channel chakra into it at you and I will be able to communicate. Only use it in emergencies however, because my cohorts in the Akatsuki may sense the chakra coming from the ring and I have only a limited number of excuses."

Kazuto's eyes were shadowed.

"Thank you, sensei. I will make you proud as well as bring honor to the name Uchiha."

He looked up and his eyes were full of determination, his resolve unflinching.

Itachi merely nodded, and disappeared into a flock of crows.

Kazuto watched the crows fly away, and looked around the hideout. For the first time in four years, the seals around the hideout were dropped. It was strange, he thought. Almost as if the hideout was now missing something. He took the first steps out of the hideout, and started sprinting away. Where, he didn't know.

But he never looked back.

 **/End Flashback/**

Kazuto smirked.

"You'll get this. This ring is extremely valuable, if sold to the right people."

He saw Tsunade's eyes scrunched in thought. And she spoke.

"Alright brat. I accept. And when there's one less ring on your finger, I want you to look back and remember this moment."

Kazuto replied evenly. "Meet me at the training grounds near the dojo around here. At noon."

He left his parting words and exited the room, in favor of his own room. He wondered if it was a good idea betting the ring. But he reassured himself. He had a plan.

He could only hope it worked.

~/~

The area was calm. The grass was blowing slowly with the wind, only rivaled with the soft movement of the leaves rustling in the trees. But suddenly, there was a shift that somehow changed the atmosphere of the training ground. Two figures appeared in the clearing, three if you counted the small pig in one of the womens' arms.

"Damn that brat! I knew he wouldn't show! Arrogant gaki thought he could challenge me..."

She opened her mouth once again to speak, when she was interrupted by a flash of lightning. She tensed, ready for an intruder, but instead, the young man from yesterday walked out of the lightning comfortably.

Kazuto held a confident, yet charming smirk. "I hope I'm not late. But even more, I hope you're ready, because if you aren't..."

He charged forward at incredible speeds, with lightning wreathing his legs for a significant boost. Tsunade was taken aback, and almost didn't dodge the initial forearm strike. She leaped to the side, but Kazuto followed, throwing precision kicks and punches, first aiming at her abdomen with a flurry of attacks which were blocked. Tsunade leaned backwards and Kazuto, taking this as his opportunity, boosted forward, and stopped. Because of the fist trapped in his stomach. He coughed up blood, cursing himself for falling for the feint.

And bursted into smoke.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"A bunshi- Agh!"

Without any time to react, Kazuto blurred behind her and threw his most powerful roundhouse at her, sending her flying.

"You're gonna regret it."

However, he watched her get up as if it was nothing, and charged at her own amazing speeds. She flew at an almost untraceable pace, and threw her fist forwards, but Kazuto, having already heard about her incredible strength, deflected it and used his opportunity to strike pressure points in her arm, hoping to slow her down.

No dice.

She was healing the damage self-consciously, and in the middle of battle,.

 _'No wonder she is known as the greatest medic in the world.'_

She charged even faster sending a kick that was dodged by the hair of his head. Now Kazuto's confidence had waned, and he was fighting for his life.

"I thought this was a friendly match! Are you trying to kill me!"

Tsunade laughed not stopping at all in her fearsome offensive.

"Man up brat! You said everything goes!"

Kazuto decided to up the battle. Judging from history books and accounts, Tsunade rarely used elemental ninjutsu. He planned to use that to his advantage.

"Katon: Fireball Jutsu"

A large fireball erupted from his mouth.

As the flame rushed forwards, Kazuto shunshined behind her and watched as she dodged both his kick and the fireball almost effortlessly.

 _'So this is the power of one of the Sannin.'_ Kazuto thought.

She had twirled in midair and landed gracefully before immediately and blocking an immediate attack to her left.

And right.

And behind her.

 _'Shit.'_ Tsunade thought.

 **Katon: Phoenix Flower Jutsu**

Tsunade jumped back and quickly dodged the projectiles. Her face scrunched into an annoyed snarl.

"I've had enough!"

She punched the ground with such force that tress were uprooted, wind flew wildly, and Kazuto fell over almost instantly.

He recovered and stood up, before he felt a heavy strike to his chest, almost as if an anvil was shot out of a cannon and into his midsection. He flew back,

and back,

and back.

He felt the pain of multiple ribs being broken. He twitched his finger in an effort to get up, as that was all he could do. Tsunade blurred in front of him.

 _'Was she really holding back this much? Am I really that weak? I only I could use my sharingan. If only.'_

He looked up at her shakily, and with a confident smirk on his face. She looked down at him in turn and furrowed her brows in confusion.

"What are you smiling brat! If anything I should treat your injuries right now for how bad I injure-"

She stopped cold, feeling chakra build inside of Kazuto. She opened her mouth and moved to stop him, but it was too late.

 **Genjutsu: Demonic Hell Viewing Technique**

Tsunade froze. She saw a little boy laughing with his big sister. She saw his smile, his eyes, his dream. She saw him dead. The memories shifted. She saw an attractive man with purple hair and calm, wise eyes. She saw his dead body in her arms.

The dread.

The fear.

The denial.

The Blood.

So much... So much blood. It was everywhere. I was supposed to give life, but it only took it away. The crimson liquid of life, The crimson liquid of horror. And it went on...

And on.

And on.

 **~/~**

Kazuto slowly stood up, watching as Tsunade fell to the effects of his genjutsu. She had perhaps the finest chakra control in the world, yet she could break out of a genjutsu that isn't all that strong.

It's funny what the human mind can do. The ability to turn even the most skilled into someone shaking in fear. She had the ability to break out of the genjutsu, but her mind wouldn't let her. Her hemophilia was too strong. He held a kunai to her throat and released the genjutsu.

"Surrender."

At this point Shizune had rushed over, her face worried as she stood to the side.

"Tsunade, surrender. The match is ove-"

He stopped and peered at her face. Her eyes were wide and frightened. But why? He had released the genjutsu.

His eyes widened. If she was still reliving her greatest fears then...

"It's coming from her own mind! Her brain is too focused on the genjutsu to realize that it's gone! Shizune, you have to snap her out of it!"

Kazuto was worried. And scared. What would Tsunade do once she was released? She could defeat him easily, shown by the end of their fight, where she had barely used half of her power, if that.

What matters is that he gets Tsunade back to reality. He watched as Shizune tried to wake her up.

"Tsunade-sama! Wake up! Snap out of it! It isn't real!"

Kazuto bit his lip.

"It's not working. Is there any medical ninjutsu you could use?"

"Yes, but I don't have the supplies right now. Someone has to get inside her mind. But the only people that can do that are either the Yamanaka, with their mind jutsu, or the Uchiha, with their sharingan. And we have neither."

Kazuto winced.

"I guess this is your lucky day then, because..."

He activated his sharingan, with three tomoe spinning lazily around the pupil.

Shizune' wide eyes and disbelieving face would've made him laugh, if not for the situation.

"How is that possible." She whispered. "How are you alive. Nobody survived except Itachi's brother."

Kazuto spoke urgently. "Later. First you need to tell me how to get into Tsunade's mind."

Shizune spoke hurriedly. "Okay, use the same amount of chakra you used for the genjutsu, but instead of focusing on a specific genjutsu, just focus it as genjutsu chakra, and force it into her."

Kazuto did as requested and found himself wandering around in ironically, a hospital.

There were filing cabinets everywhere, and as far as the eye could see. He then found hard breathing in a direction to his right. He ran in the direction until he got closer, and eventually stopped. He found Tsunade, once proud, prideful, and even cocky, looking very close to curling up into a ball on the floor.

Kazuto gasped. "Tsunade."

She didn't hear him.

"Tsunade."

She didn't hear him

"Tsunade!"

He walked over to her, so that they were face to face.

"Tsunade. What are you doing. You can't just curl up like this and try to ignore your fear. I've learned the hard way that the things you fear are just the things that need the most confrontation."

She still looked away from him. "Get out of here! I don't want you here!"

Kazuto replied instantly.

"I will. I swear on my life, I will. But you can't do this. I know you've lost people. I have too. I know it feels like you're not even you. It's like this huge part of you is missing, and you hardly recognize yourself without them in your heart. But you have to get over it. Tsunade ,if you're not moving forward then you won't ever get over it. I know you have regrets for the dead, but you can't forget, you have people who are alive."

Tsunade turned to look at him, with a light in her eyes that was new to him.

"Think of Shizune. That girl left her entire life to travel with you. To live with you. To _be_ with you. Are you gonna forget the duties you have to the people alive by never getting over the dead? C'mon Tsunade, I know you're stronger than this. Come with me, to the land of the living. They're waiting."

Tsunade smiled, and stood up. She spoke with an enthusiasm in her voice she had lacked.

"You know what, kid, you're one hell of a shinobi, and a hell of a person too."

The smile Kazuto gave her would've been enough to brighten up Itachi himself.

 **~/~**

"Do you really have to leave?"

"I have to keep moving, keep on the road."

"Well, I wish you good luck, Kazuto-kun."

Kazuto turned his back on Shizune and her master, and smiled.

"Farewell, Tsunade, Shizune. It was an honor to meet you, and I hope we'll see each other again."

He took the first step forward, but was stopped by a voice.

"Wait brat!"

"Yes, Tsunade?"

"Stay safe. I hope to see you again, and if you ruin that, I'll heal you up and beat you myself!"

Kazuto smiled, gave a nod, and disappeared in a crack of lightning.

 **~/~**

"Shaddup teme! I bet I'd beat you in a fight anyday!"

"You wish, dobe, you couldn't beat me on my worst day."

"Hey! Stop fighting with Sasuke-kun!"

"But Sakura-chan!"

These interactions were as normal as breathing for Team 7, and usually ended up for the lesser for the flaxen youth of the team. Blond, spiky hair adorned the top of his head, and was only rivaled by the brightness of his orange jumpsuit, which along with his hair, almost gave the impression of looking into the sun.

However, no matter how bright his appearance was, it didn't even come close to rivaling his personality, which was brightened even further by the news he was given.

"Ohayo, my cute little students."

A man in a typical Jonin vest and attire appeared in front of his students. He had spiky grey hair and he wore his forehead protector in a way that covered his left eye. His eye seemed to smile for him, as the mask on the man's face prevented his mouth from doing so.

"I have some good news for you three. I have gone to Hokage-sama, and have approved our request for a place in this year's chunin exams."

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief and elation. Sakura seemed to want the chance to impress Sasuke, rather than herself and her teachers, but Sasuke's eyes seemed to take on a look of determination and anticipation.

Under his mask, Kakashi smiled. He had his doubts, but they were proved wrong.

 _'They're ready.'_

 **~/~**

 _'Ah, Rice Country.'_

Kazuto stood up from the onsen of a famous inn decked right in the center of the main town.

"Leaving already?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty busy these days, always on to something else."

"I hope we meet again then. I didn't catch your name?"

"Kazuto. The name's Kazuto. And yours?"

"Kabuto. No surname?"

"No surname."

Kazuto then left the onsen, thinking about the man he had met there. His hair had been kept in a rough ponytail, and was a silvery color that he had only seen on Hatake Kakashi, Itachi's sempai back when he was in ANBU. On his way out, he saw the man's attire in the space provided for each guest. He had been wearing a purple outfit, glasses, and a weird headband that he wouldn't have expected.

It had a musical note on it.

 _'A musical note? Is that a new village, is it even a shinobi village, or is he one of the few?'_

Kazuto wanted to find out. He waited until Kabuto left the onsen, and trailed him. A quick sharingan genjutsu he had learned from Itachi before he left ensured that the man wouldn't notice him. At first he took a normal route to the center of the town. But it soon started to get peculiar when he layered his own genjutsu on his surroundings, and seemingly disappeared into a wall. Kazuto almost laughed aloud.

 _'Fool. You can't trick the eyes of the Uchiha.'_

He followed the man through a rough passageway in between two large rocks and under a waterfall, that served for quite the trip. Kabuto performed a handseal, and a door appeared from nothing.

Kazuto rushed forward.

 _'It's now or never!'_

 **Fuuton: Binding Wire**

The man went rigid, his body fell backwards, and he tried to cancel the jutsu for the entrance before Kazuto got in, but a blow to the head sent him into dark unconsciousness.

He entered the hidden area, and immediately wished he didn't. As the door closed behind him, the man who knew the handseals to the door was cut off from him, and so were his chances of leaving.

It became even worse when he figured out where he was. The constant warnings from Itachi about a man who wanted the sharingan of all else. The test tubes and laboratory entrances confirmed what he already knew deep down. He had met one before, but they weren't hostile. That had left either one more ally to the leaf, or its worst traitor.

Kazuto had never had the best luck.

For he was in one of the hideouts of the rouge Sannin.

Orochimaru.

 **~/~**

 **AN: Hey guys, sorry for the somewhat irregular upload schedule, but im sure to have that figured out pretty soon. Naruto was introduced this chapter, and is sure to have some importance later in the story. Ororchimaru's lair… How will Kazuto get out? Will he get out? Make sure to Fav, Follow, and Review!**

 **Ace**


	4. Unexpected Allies

"Talking"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Summon talking** "

"Jutsu/Technique"

Enjoy!

~/~

" _The heir to lightning shall come to aid_

 _The kings of the sky from a terrible fate_

 _Bird and human shall merge to form_

 _That which was long lost in the storm_

 _For if the chosen refuses to defend_

 _The reign of the eagles shall come to an end._ "

~/~

The Eagles were in outrage.

" **A human! Have you gone senile!** "

" **Tsubasa hold your tongue! That is the oracle, and he's guided our people longer than you've been alive!** "

" **A human would destroy us! He'd leak our secrets to his brethren!** "

" **Did you not just hear the prophecy? Without the human we are doomed to be eradicated!** "

" **There are no creatures more treacherous than humans! They kill their own kind! We have done just fine without the humans so far!** "

" **Humans should not be trusted!** "

As the eagles continued to argue, the being at the head of the throne opposite the oracle sighed.

" **Slience!** "

Everyone hushed immediately. " **The oracle has spoken. A human is the only one with a chance of saving us from an unforseen danger. Perhaps he could be the second coming of our first summoner, Sora himself.** "

The eagles began to open their mouths to argue, when a glare from their leader quieted them instantly.

The eagle chief walked out of the assembly room, intent on flying around the grounds for them moment.

For he had a lot to think about.

~/~

Kazuto found himself faced with a conundrum.

' _God fucking damnit, only I could have this kind of luck. Why did I decide to follow that guy._ '

"Baka, baka, baka" he muttered under his breath.

He raced down the halls, looking for an exit, and dispatched a few guards silently and quickly along the way.

The walls were of smooth rock, with the floor and ceiling bring of the same surface. As he raced down the corridors, rooms dotted his left and right, some seeming like they were bedrooms and some for other; more sinister purposes. Labs were centered around the hallways, some with groans coming from them and some with dry blood across the windows, yet to be cleaned.

It's no wonder Orochimaru was exiled for his brutality.

After running down endless halls for a time, he found something in the hideout to make him open his mouth in awe. After making a left on the last corner, following a source of light, he found that the light he was looking for didn't come from an exit.

In front of him was the biggest library he had ever seen in his life.

Isles were separated by training scrolls, justu scrolls, books on the ninja arts and much, much, more. As he looked at the treasure trove of knowledge, he couldn't help but think that knowledge really did outweigh money by a long shot. He entered the library, unable to quench his thirst for the valuables in front of him.

The fire section came first, where he took scrolls towards the back of the shelf, so as not to be noticed. He moved on to the wind section, scooping some scrolls from the bottom of the shelf. Last came the lightning scrolls, where he almost abandoned caution and ended up taking more than he was supposed to. On his way to leave, passing the books that were on the way to the exit of the library, one caught his eye.

"The Tale of the Rikūdo Sennin"

He raised an eyebrow and put it into his pouch for later. He passed the summoning isle with distaste (1). He never liked summons. However, when passing the isle, he feet seemed to move by themselves, shuffling towards the shelf. He didn't know what he was doing. He leaned over to the side of the shelf, where a peculiar scroll seemed to be redacted; tossed aside as though it weren't of any use. He picked it up and his eyes roamed the scroll hungrily, for reasons he couldn't fathom.

He tucked this away in his pouch along with the Rikūdo book and his sealing scroll that he had put all of the justu in.

He had reached the exit and now planned to double his efforts to find the exit, for if his theft was found he knew it wouldn't be favorable for him.

The moment his foot stepped outside the exit, he hears a whistling sound coming towards his direction. He dodged the projectile immediately. At first he thought it was a kunai but upon closer inspection it was chalky white and rugged.

' _Bone?_ '

He looked at the perpetrator to see it was an individual with purple robes and black pants with a large purple rope belt around his waist. He had startling green eyes and two dots on his forehead, framed with white hair to match his pale skin.

"Intruder! State your name and reason for being here." Said the person.

Kazuto replied with a cheeky smile. "Uhh I'm Kazuto, and would you believe me if I said I was one of Orochimaru's guards?"

The man charged him immediately.

"Didn't think so." Kazuto muttered.

In a feat of great speed, the man had pulled out a weapon and slashed at Kazuto, barely giving him time to pull out his katana to parry it. Kazuto's opponent went for an upwards slash, to be dodged by Kazuto's step-back, which was followed immediately by a series of stabs and cuts that had Kazuto on the ropes.

Deciding to turn it around, Kazuto ducked under an incoming slash, feinting with an inside stab before spinning to the left for a slash at his unprotected right side, causing him to jump back. Kazuto pushed his advantage by slashing down at his opponent's sword hand, but when the man retracted his hand back quickly, he was unprepared for Kazuto to kick the peculiar sword out of his hand. It was the same chalky white as the earlier projectile, with a rough appearance and a groove towards the bottom for a handle.

The man looked like he was gonna charge again when Kazuto spoke.

"Hold up, just give me a second."

The man watched on with narrowed eyes, wondering what Kazuto had planned.

"Is that your bone! Doesn't that, like, hurt? At all? Sure as hell hurt me when I kicked your sword out of your hand!"

The man seemed to disapprove of Kazuto's statement.

"He is rather strong, for an absolute fool." He muttered, ignoring Kazuto's indignant cries in the background.

"So what's your name huh?" Kazuto spoke up from across the bone-man.

"I am Kaguya Kimimaro, the leader of the Sound Five."

"Hey Kimimaro, you're strong. Why do you work for such trash like Orochimaru?"

Kimimaro snarled at the insult to his master. "Orochimaru-sama saved me! He is a great man, one such trash like you doesn't even deserve to speak the name of!"

In turn, Kazuto got angry as well, dropping the sarcastic and joking manner he had previously. "A great man? A great man! Tell that to the people he's torturing, tell that to those who have to undergo his sick experiments!"

Kimimaro shook his head, as if this was a matter too great for Kazuto to attempt to understand. "I am from the Kaguya clan. We were a clan of fierce fighters native to Kiri. One day, the combination of our intense desire to fight without strategy and the emerging bloodline purges of Kiri had us wiped out, with me as the last survivor. I was on the brink of death as well, when Orochimaru-sama found me, brought me back to health and gave me purpose as his subordinate. He gave my life meaning, something of such significance that scum like you will never understand!"

With that, Kimimaro charged, and once he got close to Kazuto yelled, "Dance of the Larch".

Bones erupted from all over his body, and Kimimaro utilized them all by spinning his body and performing many different feats of acrobatics that had Kazuto on the defense.

Kazuto backed up and built up chakra. "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu"

Mini fireballs flew in different directions, and Kazuto threw shuriken in the midst of the fireballs, hoping the enemy didn't see them coming.

Alas, it was too much to hope for as Kimimaro dodged them with ease and charged, uttering the name of his Jutsu. "Dance of the Clementia: Flower"

An enormous drill of bone tore right through Kazuto's abdomen, but rather than an explosion of blood and guts, a puff of smoke took its place.

Thankful for his high chakra reserves and Itachi's teachings, yet another Kazuto clone burst from the earth, and plunged a kunai straight into Kimimaro's chest.

Only for the kunai to shatter into pieces.

Kazuto's eyes widened. ' _How am I gonna beat this guy?_ '

After a few seconds of standoff, Kimimaro made the first move by lifting the enormous drill, and throwing it full force at Kazuto, which he dodged, distracting him from his approaching enemy.

Kimimaro charged once again seemingly even more determined to beat Kazuto than he was before. With the increased speed, Kazuto was getting overwhelmed.

Kimimaro went to kick Kazuto which he attempted to block.

Big mistake.

From Kimimaro's foot sprouted a thick bone the plunged straight through Kazuto's right arm.

Kazuto screamed in pain, but was silenced when he was hit with a heavy kick to the face. He was sprawled across the floor, with his jaw surely broken.

' _Damnit, I can't even beat one of Orochimaru's lackeys with how I am now, while Sensei can beat Orochimaru himself almost with ease. Will I ever be strong enough to reach my goal?_ '

But then he remembered. He almost laughed, if not for the pain it would've caused his jaw. One crucial fact that had just reached his mind. He put his sword back in its sheath as he saw Kimimaro slowly walk towards him, intent on finishing him off.

Ignoring the pain in his arm, he forced his hands together in the ram seal, watching Kimimaro pick up his speed into a jog, and then into a sprint. As he muttered the justu name, his mind flashed back to the vital fact that had slipped his mind. In fact, it was very simple.

The battle wasn't over yet.

"Four Limbs Weighting Seal: Kai!"

Feeling a thousand times lighter, he dodged Kimimaro's final attack with ease. Kimimaro seemed bewildered with Kazuto's new speed as he whipped his vision from left to right, trying to keep track of Kazuto as he raced around him.

Kazuto then began taking quick shots at Kimimaro, if only to put him off balance.

Kazuto then smirked, and took out his sword. Kimimaro heavily grunted as he fell to the ground. He then cried out in pain as he felt slashed run across his front, back, and sides, faster than he could keep track of.

' _What? How? My bones are too strong for him to hurt me with his sword._ '

But then he looked at Kazuto who had stopped moving and saw that it wasn't his ordinary sword, and that it was coated in lighting chakra, which looked suspiciously like real lightning as it raced across the blade, increasing its cutting and more importantly, piercing power.

After making sure that he was incapacitated by slashing at his arms and legs, Kazuto spoke.

"It's over, Kimimaro. You were a great opponent, one that I take honor in being able to defeat."

Kazuto sighed.

"You deserve so much more than Orochimaru's treatment. Why do you serve him? Have you not seen the atrocities he performs?"

Kimimaro replied, "I do not care. Orochimaru-sama saved me from the worst fate possible, dying alone. For that, I will do anything for him, and will give up my life without a second thought."

' _Damn, this guy is really loyal_ '.

Right when Kazuto had started thinking of a method to knock him out, he was blown back by an incredibly sinister force. He yelled in pain from landing on his right arm, which he had bandaged up using his ripped clothing. Looking back at Kimimaro, he looked different.

His skin and hair was darker, along with his presence. He had grown multiple large bones on his back and his eyes were shadowed by black markings, with his evil aura emanating from a seal on his neck.

"Now." Kimimaro spoke. "The true fight begins."

Kazuto doubled over in pain from the fist buried in his stomach. He was then kicked in the face from a right roundhouse, sending him flying into the air. From there it was a left hook, and then a swift punch to the gut. Kazuto almost passed out from the pain, with Kimimaro's bone enhanced punches hurting at least 5-10 times worse than a normal punch. After being knocked around like a ping pong ball, Kazuto decided that he had enough.

' _Goddamnit, it's really not much of a secret if I end up having to use it when I fight. But then, Kimimaro in this state has gotta be low Jonin level at the very least._ '

He really had no choice. It was the only way to keep track of Kimimaro's movements.

Also, he really loved using the sharingan.

Kazuto's world turned into pinpoint clarity as his eyes became the color of blood.

And as far as Kazuto was concerned, the fight was over now.

The previous attacks that were knocking Kazuto around were now being easily blocked, countered, and dodged as if hey were nothing. Kazuto grinned at his newfound power. The power of the Uchiha was indeed great.

Channeling chakra to his feet he boosted forwards and planted his heel in the bone-user's chest, sending him back. The Kaguya stared at him with a fierce intensity and seemed ready to charge.

' _No. I'm ending it right here._ " Kazuto thought.

He stared into Kimimaro's eyes, and they were off into a different world.

~/~

Kimimaro's mind was a forest of trees and memories. It was as if each tree was an experience in his life and it's branches were the memories of those experiences.

He walked through the forest heading straight towards whatever exit was laid out for him at the end.

He saw medium sized trees with memories of him being ostracized for inheriting his clan's kekkei genkai, the Dead Bone Pulse, the ability to manipulate and strengthen the bones in one's body. These varied to big trees that showed his family getting slaughtered for attacking Kiri with the goal of only satiating their lust for bloodshed and battle.

And last before exiting the forest there was an enormous tree, easily the size of all other trees combined, showing Kimimaro getting taken in by the snake Sannin at a young age.

At the end of the forest, Kimimaro stood. The bone wielder had a solemn look on his face.

"It seems you are of the Uchiha Clan, to get into my mind the way you did, as well as the sharingan you used in our battle. It is no wonder you are strong."

"Yeah, I am. I know what it feels like to have your whole clan killed. And I know what it feels like to be saved, and trained to be strong. Which is why I know that the way that Ororchimaru uses you as a weapon is wrong."

Kimimaro sighed, as if accepting that nobody would ever understand him.

"Look at me." He said, with a bitter laugh. "Even with my repeated bouts saying that Orochimaru saved me, I'm still alone. In the real world, and in my own mind."

Kazuto's eyes almost widened, from both Kimimaro's confession and his lack of suffix when referring to his master.

"But still" Kimimaro continued. "He saved me, and in saving my life, it became his, regardless of what I want or what I want to believe in."

Kazuto thought carefully on his words.

"You say I'm strong. But you don't know who made me strong. You don't know who saved me when my clan was killed, just as Orochimaru saved you when your clan was killed."

Kimimaro remained silent, allowing him continue.

"I am the student and legacy of Uchiha Itachi."

Kimimaro's eyes widened. 'The man who killed his clan saved him? No wonder he is so strong being trained by one even stronger than Orochimaru-sama.'

Kimimaro spoke. "So then, why do you fight? In hopes of getting stronger and killing your master? Or revenge at Konoha themselves?"

Kazuto laughed. A light, humorous chuckle. "That would be quite hypocritical I'm afraid. I'm not after destruction of any kind. Nor am I after the protection of any village or land. My dream is bigger than them all."

The pale skinned Kaguya was confused at this point. He didn't know what the teen before him was after. Kazuto spoke with a gleam in his eye talking about his dream, and the bone user knew that Kazuto would stop at nothing to accomplish his dream. This interested Kimimaro even more, for those with that gleam in their eye were not to be taken lightly.

"I am after the one thing that has eluded humankind since our beginning."

"I solely want peace. That is all. I won't lie and say that I don't want revenge against a man who killed my family. But if it were between the two, I would throw away my vengeance in an instant."

Kimimaro was surprised beyond belief. For someone to wish for piece in this war-torn world was not only foolish but absurd. But the way Kazuto spoke made him think the teen would actually achieve it.

And that was the truly absurd part.

"My master, though incredibly skilled in illusions and playing with the human mind, forced nothing on me, and gave me a dream I believe in with such intensity that I wouldn't give it up for anything. Tell me, how many children do you think that you have given the fate bestowed upon you? How many mothers and fathers have you killed under Orochimaru's orders?"

Kimimaro frowned heavily, having never thought of it that way before. He couldn't believe that this teenager spouting profound dreams of peace was the same one making jokes and acting like a fool at the beginning of their battle. He pondered on Kazuto's question. He had to have orphaned tens, maybe hundreds of children. Made them just like him. Alone.

The trees around them seemed to recognize what Kimimaro was searching for, showing amongst all the trees instances in which Kimimaro was destroying a family. Tens of mothers and fathers begging for their lives, mentioning their children in hopes of making him stop.

How would he ever atone for what he had done?

Kimimaro began to answer.

"I-I don't k-know anym-more. I-"

He was cut off by the sight he saw when looking back at Kazuto.

Kazuto's hand was extended towards him.

"Join me, and let's bring peace to this world. So that no child will have to lose their family as we did. No child will have to wander the world, alone."

Kimimaro grasped his hand firmly.

"Uchiha Kazuto, you are truly an interesting man. I look forward to seeing the path you take on your journey."

And with that, they disappeared to the real world.

~/~

Kazuto's eyes faded to black as he smiled at his once-adversary.

"Well, let's get outta here."

Kimimaro was about to lead Kazuto towards the exit when he was stopped by a voice that made his blood run cold with fear.

"Kukuku, not so fast younglings."

Kazuto cursed. A lot.

' _God fucking damnit why does this always happen to me._ '

His exasperation overcoming his fear for the moment, he spoke.

"Oi. You're Orochimaru huh? Well I'm Kazuto, and I'm not going to die today. So you can run away now and tuck your tail between your legs or get ready to have your ass beaten, so take your pick."

Kimimaro looked at him as if he were crazy, and Orochimaru started laughing uproariously.

The snake Sannin shifted his gaze to Kimimaro, who nearly shuddered in fear.

"Defeating Kimimaro there is most impressive. You must have him under genjutsu I assume."

Keeping up the façade, Kimimaro remained silent.

With the Sannin's attention on

the Kaguya, it gave Kazuto time to plan. He currently had nothing in his arsenal that would even begin to stand up to the likes of one of the Sannin, even with the use of his sharingan. He was about to plan a eulogy and secretly tell Kimimaro to remember him when he remembered one thing from the Uchiha Police Boot Camp.

Summoning scrolls were peculiar things. When bound to a certain animal, the justu allows one to summon one such animal to aid them. However, if you use the justu when you are not signed to an animal, you will be teleported to the home of the animal you are most suited for. Therein lies the solution to Kazuto's conundrum.

Orochimaru sighed. "Well, you should know that I don't take kindly to those who invade on my labs without permission. Such a shame I will have to kill one capable of defeating Kimimaro."

Kazuto saw Orochimaru begin to move and performed the seals for the summoning justu, taught to him years earlier in preparation for signing the Cat contract, which he never did. Orochimaru was about 5 feet away from them when he poured all of his chakra into his technique, grabbed Kimimaro and yelled.

"SUMMONING JUSTU!"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed before he flew backwards, courtesy of a gust of wind caused by the giant eagle Kazuto and Kimimaro were standing on.

Kazuto's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as the humongous eagle flapped it's wings, easily the size of a single story building each.

The eagle spoke. "I am Fezā, son of the—"

Kazuto interrupted him. "I'll explain later, just fly! Fly as far as you can!"

The eagle seemed a bit skeptical, but flapped its enormous wings in the direction opposite of the hideout, just as Orochimaru was beginning to regain his footing.

The Sannin decided not to give chase and watched as the giant eagle flew off into the sunset.

"There is no need. I'm sure I will meet such a man again, for there is no one with the eyes he has that will not make a name for themselves." (2)

"Orochimaru-sama. I sincerely apologize. I didn't see the intruder coming and—"

Orochimaru cut him off saying, "Think nothing of it Kabuto, but do not let your guard drop as such again, or there will be grave consequences."

Kabuto nodded, having been found by a guard on high alert from the noises being made by the battle outside the library.

Both master and student walked back into the hideout, with Kabuto taking tally of everything destroyed in the battle.

Orochimaru smirked. ' _Kazuto hm? I'm sure we will meet again, for you are a very interesting shinobi._ "

~/~

Kazuto never thought he'd be in more danger than he was when facing Orochimaru.

He was wrong.

Falling from the sky at this altitude would leave him a splatter on the ground without fail. And given the speed they were going, it was definitely a possibility.

"Slow down!"

Despite the raging wind from their speed, the eagle seemed to hear him and casually flapped its wings, since they were a safe distance away from the hideout.

"Fezā, was it? I'm Kazuto. Thanks for saving us back there, we would've died for sure. But still, how are you here?"

Kazuto was actually just planning to grab Kimimaro and get transported to whatever place was his natural animal alignment, and hoped that they wouldn't kill him on sight.

Kimimaro spoke up. "Kazuto, you do not have a summoning contract with this animal?"

"Nope, honestly I was just planning to get reverse summoned to where ever and hoped we wouldn't die."

Kimimaro sweatdropped at this, thinking that they probably would've been killed, as summoning animals don't take trespassing well.

Fezā replied to his question. "Us Eagles do not require a summoning contract to be summoned. In fact, the contract is void, and is almost worthless even if you were to obtain it. We answer to those who are worthy of us, which is why I heeded your order upon my summoning. Since you have summoned me, I will remain your familiar for as long as you have partnership with the eagles, though you will eventually have to meet the chief; my father, at Igurunesuto, our home."

At this, Kazuto was bewildered, and it didn't look as though Kimimaro understood much more. Iguana-seato? Partnership?

Deciding to sort it all out later, and seeing that they were a long ways from the hideout, he spoke. "Thank you Fezā, we will take it from here."

"As you wish, Kazuto-sama."

As Kazuto opened his mouth to say thanks, the words transitioned into a scream when he and Kimimaro found themselves plummeting down hundreds of feet to a waterfall below.

"Kimimaro! Do you have anything to get us out of this!" Kazuto asked, as he had no way to escape becoming a body floating across the water.

"I have one, but I'm going to need all the chakra you can spare, as it is a taxing technique and I'm all out of chakra!"

Cursing the fact that not everyone had as much chakra as he did, he grabbed onto Kimimaro's shoulder and pushed all of his chakra into the bone wielder, so much that lightning began coursing around him.

He shut his eyes as he felt all his chakra leaving him when Kimimaro yelled.

"Dance of the Seedling Fern!"

Thirty feet away from them, large pointed bones rose from the water to skewer them both before the one that was about to run them through bent leaving only smooth bone to land on.

Very, very, hard bone.

Kazuto saw stars as they hit the bone and slid down its surface to the bottom.

Hitting the banks of the river, Kazuto felt both their bodies begin to drift into the river, though he could do nothing, as his chakra was all gonna and he was injured in multiple places, including his right arm containing a hole through it.

Kimimaro was already out, and Kazuto hoped they wouldn't die as he joined his new ally in the black depths of unconsciousness.

~/~

AN: Phew, this chapter was a doozie. Sorry for the awfully long break, and I won't make needless excuses, but I'm pleased to say I believe I'll be updating more regularly now. Also, I've decided to start putting markers inside of individual chapters in the form of numbers so as to explain things that need more clarification or explanation. The explanations will be below the author's note. Did you like the chapter? Did you not? What was done well? What could've been done better? Be sure to let me know via review or PM. Fav, Follow, and Review!

Ace

~/~

1\. Kazuto never liked summoning because in having to summon an animal it shows that you aren't strong enough to handle the battle yourself, though he does not feel the same way about working with others.

2\. By eyes, Orochimaru means the look in Kazuto's eyes, it's intensity and determination, not his sharingan, as it was already deactivated.


	5. A Different Perspective

Fū was not having a good day.

She was anything but an average kunoichi, wearing a white top and bottom with her toned midriff exposed. But what set her apart wasn't what was on the outside, but rather the Seven Tailed Beast sealed away inside of her, making her a weapon of the village of waterfall.

She decided to go see Shibuki-sama and hang out for a bit, since he was one of the only people in this village who didn't see her as some weapon. But alas, it was not meant to be, for the bitch of a secretary said he was "busy".

How hard could being a village leader be anyways?

She continued to stroll down the street around the building, until the sound of voices caught her attention.

Games were being set up in order to celebrate the founding of their village in an annual festival, a day which would come to pass tomorrow.

"Hey! I earned that bear! Give it to me!"

"Well, I can't see any knocked down bottles, can you?"

"You just put that back up yourself, that's not fair, I spent all my allowance on this!"

Fū walked over to a boy of about 13, bullying a small girl who looked around 8. She snarled and with her movements gained through her shinobi training, stole the entire row of prizes and gave them through the girl.

The girl looked up at her with stars in her eyes but before she could say anything she was interrupted by the boy who was picking on the young girl.

"HEY EVERYBODY, THAT TROUBLEMAKER IS STEALING AGAIN!"

Fū cursed, and looked towards the center of the festival set up to see a large group of civilians gathering, booing and yelling at her.

"Give the boy back his prizes!"

"Those prizes belong to him, you delinquent!"

Fū frowned, and in response, Fū decided to steal items from the carts and stands of the civilians as well. Her hands were full as she ran across the empty clearing, tossing stuffed bears and party hats as far as she could.

"For all your talk all you can do is complain you old geezers!"

Fū laughed madly as she ran around the grounds, jumping over thrown items and belongings.

At this point, the crowd of civilians had grown into a small mob, and their annoyance had grown to more sinister emotions, due to the obvious joy of their "thief", along with the fact that nobody was able to stop her.

The situation got serious when a thrown countertop towards the sunset arched downwards to a power line overlooking the field, causing a flicker of flame on the grass to spread into a large fire on the west side of the area. The fire was a safe distance away from all of the residents at the field, but the accident was not seen as one.

One man started it all.

"The demon has set the field on fire!"

And just like that, Fū froze.

She stated down at the ground, her eyes shadowed as the rest of the group started joining in.

"Is that demon bitch trying to kill us?"

"She should've never been allowed to be a kunoichi!"

"She should've been raised as a proper weapon, so she would at least be under control, and not attack the people she is supposed to be protecting!"

And then, quite literally, it hit her.

Blood trickled down her forehead as the man in the front of the crowd bent over to pick up a new stone.

She went berserk.

~/~

A hand touched his face.

Immediately, he woke up and grabbed the throat of the individual attacking in his sleep and slammed him/her down on the white bed that he woke up on.

Looking for Kimimaro he—

'Wait. White bed, white walls, smell of anesthesia... I must be in a hospital. And that river we ended up floating down, the water was cold as ice, meaning I probably had hypothermia. Which means that the guy I just took down was—'

Oh shit.

The doctor looked up at him in fear. "I mean no harm, I promise! You washed up on the banks of the river connecting to our great waterfall. You and your friend had hypothermia so I only brought you to my village to fix you up. You seemed to have had a nasty stab through your arm, but our iryō nin are top of the line here." The doctor said with pride.

"Your village? What village? Where are we?"

"We are in Takigakure, the Waterfall village. This is my hospital, a little way from the village center."

"Taki? Why are you helping me? I've done nothing to earn your care."

"I'm a doctor young man, it's what I do."

Kazuto beamed at the man before a thought popped into his head, "Where's my friend? He should have arrived here with me. Pale skin, green eyes?" Kazuto questioned.

"Oh he's in the next room over. He seems to be recovering smoothly. However, you both need some rest, so try not to do anything strenuous."

Kazuto subtly rolled his eyes as the doctor moved out of the room. "I'll do my best."

Yet it was not to be, as the hospital began to collapse.

~/~

Fū saw red.

She let loose an anguished scream, raised her fist, and slammed it into the earth below her. The ground shattered below them, with jagged cracks running through it as civilians fled in fear.

With a bellow, wings of chakra not unlike a bug's sprouted from her back. Powerful gusts of wind sent decoration in disarray and sent debris flying at the civilians. Too focused on her anger, she didn't target individual people but rather unleashed her wrath on everyone in the area.

Until he tried to stop her.

Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure approached her.

"Fū, stop this please! This is your village, these are your people!"

The Nanabi jinchuriki merely shattered the electrical pole next to her with a powerful kick.

Shibuki's fear shone clear through his eyes, but he continued to step forwards, "Why are you doing this? This isn't you."

A gust of wind from her wings sent the aforementioned debris from the electrical pole towards the civilian population, who ran away in fear as village chunin and genin escorted them away. Meanwhile, the few jonin in Taki stood anxiously around Fū, not being sure if they have enough power to defeat her considering the strength of their jonin compared to the Great Five hidden villages.

Shibuki nervously stepped closer, for if she didn't listen to him, then it was unlikely that she would listen to anyone in the village.

"Fū, please! If you let the demon control you you're just turning into what everyone says you are!"

At this point Shibuki was within touching distance of her, and tentatively reached a hand out to place it on her shoulder.

But it wasn't enough.

As his hand was millimeters away from touching her, she let loose a scream that made everyone around her cower in fear, and sent Shibuki flying away from her.

All nearby buildings around her, such as the nearby restaurant, the remaining carnival stands, and the hospital all started crumbling to the ground from the shockwave as the jonin rushed inside them to prevent as many casualties as possible.

Fū's orange eyes were now glowing in rage and a demonic power, as she slowly walked toward Shibuki. Without an ounce of regret in her eyes, she charged her fist with chakra and slammed it down onto Shibuki.

Only to receive a log in his place.

And a foot slamming into her face.

~/~

Kazuto ran from the collapsing building, feeling a malevolent chakra wash over the area's that rivaled if not exceeded Orochimaru's. He sprinted out of his room to find his doctor's leg being crushed by a steel beam. He lifted the beam and carried the doctor outside of the hospital.

"Thank you, oh thank you. The patients, go for the patients, please."

He put the doctor safely outside the building before Kimimaro walked out of the building unscathed.

'He could probably have the building collapse on him and be unharmed', Kazuto thought.

Kimimaro brushed soot off of his shoulder before looking at Kazuto.

"Are you ready to leave?" He said with a stoic expression.

"Leave, what the fuck! You'd leave all these people here to die inside that building? Did you feel that chakra? Someone's here and they aren't good."

"They are of no concern. You should leave and make sure no harm comes to you."

"Like hell I will! Damnit Kimimaro you'll save all the people in that fucking building! I'm going to investigate that chakra source."

Kazuto dashed away as Kimimaro turned towards the building. 'What a peculiar person. So this is your ninja way, hmm?'

He rushed into the hospital to rescue as many people as he could.

~/~

Kazuto rushed to the village center where the chakra was located. Into view came a rather attractive girl whose features were spoiled by a dark snarl and demonic eyes, with wind of chakra on her back.

The girl seemed to have been staring at a man beneath her feet for some time, before raising a hand to strike him down.

He appeared before her and substituted the man with a kawarimi before planting his foot in her face with a solid kick.

And felt like he almost broke his foot.

'Holy shit! What is she made of!', he thought. He looked at her to see her head snap in his direction.

She charged at him at incredible speeds he wasn't sure he could match even without his weights and threw a right hook at his face, seemingly intent on ending his life from the get go.

Thinking that it would be wise to dodge rather than block, he stepped backwards and let the hit fly in front of his face. He continued his backtrack until he was far away enough from Fū and yelled, "Katon: Fireball Jutsu!"

A roaring ball of flame sped towards Fū as she took to the skies to avoid it. She sent multiple gusts of wind at him as he flipped and dodged in a display of acrobatics.

"Ration: Electric Needle Spread."

Lightning coalesced in Kazuto's hand and numerous amounts of minute needles shot towards his aerial target.

She shot forward towards him in a dive bombing motion, and seeing her come towards him he threw two kunai at her only to miss on both accounts.

As she reached him and brought her leg out for a powerful kick, he brought his hands out and pulled as hard as he could.

The ninja wire that had wrapped around her from the earlier kunai straightened out and bound her in a crucifix shape. Kazuto smirked, 'Too easy, and here I thought someone with her chakra would be harder to beat.' He threw a kunai at her heart to finish her, not wanting to waste his already depleted chakra.

Only for it to not put even a scratch on her.

'Kami almighty, first Kimimaro, then this girl? What is it with my opponents and being tough as hell?' Kazuto thought.

The strength of her chakra increased even more, and she broke out of the wire as if it was string. Being at the range she was, she immediately pushed forwards and started attacking him with a flurry of taijutsu attacks so fast he could barely keep up. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees; hell, there might've even been a wing or two in there.

Her front kick was dodged, and he attempted to return with a left roundhouse only for it to be ducked, and for him to be punched straight in the face.

He felt like a sledgehammer had been lifted by the Raikage and slammed into his skull. He saw stars and was heavily dazed as he was knocked to the ground. Fū came upon him and kicked him once more, sending him flying back more.

Her demon-addled brain finally saw fit to remove him as she lifted his skull to no doubt commit some atrocity to it, before Kazuto heard the sweetest words of his life.

"Dance of the Larch!"

A mix of bones and taijutsu strokes attacked his opponent and drove her away from him, followed up by a barrage of bone projectiles flying out of the spaces between his knuckles.

Kazuto got up and sprinted at the girl, with Kimimaro covering him with kunai.

He cast a quick genjutsu on her and let Kimimaro take the lead, allowing him to remain unseen and approach behind her and—-

Receive a chakra-enhanced roundhouse to the chest.

He flew backwards, landing on the floor with spots flying around his vision.

Okay, so genjutsu doesn't work.

He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't let him. All he could see was Kimimaro going up against his opponent alone, and it wasn't going well for him. For while Kimimaro's body was difficult to injure, the opposing teen had more than enough strength to make it happen.

Kimimaro had pulled out a sword and was using his superior reach to keep her at bay, but it was clear he was running out of stamina, and Kazuto was pretty sure the same thing wasn't happening to the girl that they were fighting.

Kazuto sprung up, figuring that his inactivity wasn't helping anyone. He charged towards the raging kunoichi with a high kick, prompting Kimimaro to attempt a low sweep. She blew them both back with a gust from their wings, leading them to perform a midair flip and land on their feet.

"We need a plan!"

"I could activate my cursed seal, and we could work together to take her out if you'd like. However, there is no guarantee that the surrounding area will not be destroyed."

Shibuki, still recovering from his hard fall spoke up.

"Please, don't kill her. She's a good person, but the demon is altering her emotions!"

Kazuto snorted. "Her 'altered emotions' are starting to alter the organs in my body, old man."

"She's a good person I swear! She's the jinchuriki of the Nanabi, the seven tailed demon! It's not her fault that it's taking control!"

Seeing Fū start to head back towards them again, marks started to form on Kimimaro's body, as he began to activate the second stage of his cursed seal. Until one thing stopped him in his tracks.

"Fine. We'll do it your way. You're lucky I don't like killing people if I can help it."

Shibuki let out a sigh of relief, while Kimimaro's eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure about this, Kazuto-san? It is easier to eliminate her."

Kazuto stayed silent as he rushed to meet the attack of Fū. He deflected her punch with his katana, for outright blocking it would no doubt lead to it shattering.

His action was supplemented by a bone as thick as his torso was flung at his opponent. She dodged it deftly and managed to maneuver around Kazuto to attempt a bone-shattering puny to Kimimaro which was narrowly dodged.

The two began a heated battle of taijutsu, which Kazuto didn't want to interfere in due to fear of hitting Kimimaro and doing more harm than good.

The two juggernauts were fast and strong, clashing intensely with raw power that would be difficult to find in most jonin.

Kazuto stood, watching the exchange, and scratched his head, thinking.

'How did I get that guy on my side again?'

His thoughts were interrupted as Kimimaro got hit with a powerful kick that was sure to daze him heavily if something didn't break his fall.

Kazuto winced and jumped in Kimimaro's flight path, grunting in pain at the collision and skidding on the ground.

He felt like he'd been hit by a truck.

"Please stop this! I beg of you Fū. This isn't you!"

Kazuto raised an eyebrow.

'When did he come back? And hasn't he already tried this before?'

Shibuki continued his pleading, standing his ground as the jinchuriki kept moving towards him.

"I know you're angry, I know you're mistreated! My biggest regret is not making sure that these villagers knew what a good person you are, like I do! I swear I'll try my best, but don't give up on me! Don't give up on your village!"

Kazuto wiped the 'dust' from his eyes as he watched Fū walk to Shibuki.

While lessened, the demonic feeling was still there, so Kazuto and Kimimaro dashed forward and stood guard in front of Shibuki, as Fū slowed to a stop.

She stared for a long while, and the powerful aura she had started to come off of her. Her orange eyes softened, and she looked tired.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

She passed out.

~/~

Cracking his bones, Kazuto walked into Shibuki's office, followed by Kimimaro.

Upon entering, they realized that he was already in conversation with a tall, lean man with shaggy brown hair. He had brown eyes and what seemed like a permanent frown on his face, along with him wearing a jounin vest that had as much of a slouch as the man himself did.

His lazy eyes flitted to the two before going back to talking with Shibuki.

"Mission success, or whatever."

"Good work Jinpei-kun. I know I can always count on you."

"Yeah, yeah."

The man left without another word.

Kimimaro spoke up.

"It seems you've summoned us."

"Oh yes, I wanted to sincerely thank you for helping my village. We don't have the resources and manpower of the five great villages but we're proud nonetheless, and appreciate your efforts."

Kazuto replied, "Yeah, it's cool. Thank that doctor of yours who scooped us up from the river. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have been able to even get in."

"Regardless, is there a village I should direct payment to? You two are obviously shinobi."

"Uh, not really, we're sort of wanderers."

Shibuki's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Wanderers' was usually a substitute word for something else.

"Missing ninja, perhaps?"

Kazuto chuckled. "Nope. Completely unaffiliated with any village."

Kimimaro clenched his fist.

Shibuki's eyes lightened up.

"None at all? Well if you want to, there's a place in Taki for you. Strong shinobi like you are always in high demand."

Kazuto looked at Kimimaro, who gave a light shrug and looked back to Shibuki while smiling widely.

"We'll take it."

Shibuki's smile matched his own as possibilities raced through his head.

"Well then, if you're to be my shinobi, jounin rank is sufficient, is it not? Perhaps ANBU?"

Kazuto waved his arms.

"Genin will suffice."

Kimimaro and Shibuki looked at Kazuto like he'd grown a second head.

"Are you sure?"

Kazuto smiled as he thought of his sister Izumi, graduating the academy. The horrors of the D-rank missions she went on and the training sessions with her sensei. He remembered wanting to be a strong shinobi so badly back then, and now the opportunity was in his hands.

But he'd do it his own way.

He always had.

"Well then... um... err..."

Shibuki started at them blankly.

"It seems that we forgot to give each other our names. I'm Shibuki, leader of Takigakure." Shibuki stated.

Kazuto snorted.

Kimimaro broke the silence.

"Kimimaro."

"And I'm Kazuto!"

They walked to the door and were almost out when Shibuki spoke once again.

"No last names?"

Kazuto laughed. "I don't think you're ready for that yet. Ja ne!"

Shibuki was about to insist, only for them both to be gone without a trace. Still, he smiled. It seemed he had come across two interesting shinobi.

'Maybe the future is looking up, Fū.'

~/~

After finding a place to stay, Kazuto left into the night, with Kimimaro volunteering to set up their affairs.

The village, while not as large as Konoha, was beautiful. The rushing sound of the waterfall soothed the soul as he exploded his new, albeit temporary home. He couldn't stay in Taki. He knew he couldn't, or maybe it was that he wouldn't. Either way, he accepted the offer of being a shinobi while knowing this fact, and he was pretty sure that Shibuki knew it too.

However, as tends to happen when wandering around in a new place, it wasn't long before he got lost. The deeper he went into a newly found rural area of Taki, the louder the sound of the waterfall became.

As he approached it, his breath was taken away. It was huge, it's water cascading down a series of rocks as it took its course. There, at the base of the waterfall, was a person.

She had mint green hair, and orange eyes.

Despite being wary, Kazuto walked up and sat a respectable distance away from her.

"The moon is nice tonight, isn't it?"

The girl turned her head, and said nothing.

'So much for conversation.' Kazuto grumbled.

A long moment of silence passed.

"Thanks, for helping deal with me when I was in that state."

"Uh yeah, anytime. Well, hopefully not too often."

She let out a weak smile, and continued to look at the moon.

"I feel really weak, you know. When I can't even control my own actions like that. I'm a kunoichi of Takigakure. How I acted was pathetic."

Kazuto was somewhat startled by the information she started to give him, but he replied anyways.

"We all lose control sometimes. It just happens, I guess. We can't control what happens in life, you know. Even the strongest ninja in the world can't do that. Sometimes, life just throws us a cheap shot to see how we deal with it."

Fū smiled sadly.

"A cheap shot, huh. Then what do you consider being born with this **thing** in your stomach?"

Kazuto winced, but kept going nonetheless.

"There are people who care for you, you know."

"Like who? The villagers? The shinobi?" What a joke."

"Shibuki seemed to care about you a great deal."

"Yeah, Shibuki's the only reason I haven't left this damn village already."

"How about friends?"

Fū scoffed. "Speak for yourself. Why are you even in this village in the first place?"

"I was helped out by a very kind doctor nearby."

"Kind doctor huh? Don't presume to know how to tell kind and cruel unless you've stepped in my point of view."

"Well, I may not have as much a burden as you, but I didn't get much childhood. I was always chasing something rather than enjoying what I had. A murderer killed my family and i've been a wanderer ever since. I don't really have many friends. Even Kimimaro, the guy I was with, is just a shinobi I fought and asked to join up with me. I've hardly known him longer than i've known you."

Fū stayed silent.

"I think you're a good person. I don't know, I might be wrong. I think you're just someone who got dealt a bad hand. But I know that I need new friends, and apparently so do you, so how about it?"

"I can't have friends. Not while I have this thing in my body, which will be until the day I die."

Fū felt a hand on her shoulder and immediately went to brush it off until she saw the look on Kazuto's face.

"Please, just hear me out. I knew a guy once who never had any friends, who led a dark path that he still walks to this day. Don't ask me why, but I don't want you to turn out like that."

Fū's eyes started to water.

"Why would you care about me, we don't know each other. We're strangers."

"Because that's what friends do. I'm Kazuto. How about it, Fū?"

"Yeah, I'd like that... Kazuto."

She moved closer to him and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Hey Kazuto. Since we're friends, can we stay like this for a while?"

Kazuto chuckled, and got more comfortable.

They looked at the moon for a long while, and fell asleep in the clearing.

~/~

When Kimimaro woke, Kazuto still hadn't returned. What a peculiar shinobi.

He quickly got dressed, and a light breakfast of rations from his pack, not comfortable enough to eat the food of this new village.

It was strange, he supposed. Not being with Orochimaru. He was used to the man's intense presence. Used to his powerful leadership. Used to the screams of those unlucky enough to be targeted by him.

Kazuto was different. He wasn't sure if it was in a good or bad way, but he was definitely interesting. Of this, there was no doubt. Rather than receive backup against a powerful foe, he chose to ask Kimimaro to go digging through hospital ruins, saving as many people as he could.

He could've refused, of course. He could've chosen to wait until Kazuto was gone and watch the hospital crumble around him, or said no outright.

But he was curious. Curious of the type of shinobi that Kazuto Uchiha was, curious of his ninja way.

Perhaps this is what Kazuto meant when he talked about all the orphans he had created when working under Orochimaru. Maybe this was the cause of the feeling deep within Kimimaro's stomach as he was lifting the rubble of the hospital. He was used it. Used to the screams of his victims, and the proud feeling of being an underling of the snake sannin.

Different, was the new perspective Kazuto was shaving him see. And he didn't know how he'd fare. What happened when Orochimaru found him again? He wouldn't delude himself into thinking that the man wouldn't find him again. There were very few people on the Earth that could escape Orochimaru if he was looking for them, and he wasn't one of them.

Was it even worth it?

He'd see. And if it turned out for the worse rather than for the better. He'd have to go back to Orochimaru, plead his forgiveness, and satisfy his anger.

He supposed the head of Uchiha Kazuto would suffice, along with his sharingan eyes. There was nothing Orochimaru wanted more, after all.

So he'd see how it turned out, for better or for worse.

~/~

I'll stop it here. I was gonna get to the next section but this seems like a cool place to stop.

Yeah uh, even though I have a bunch of plans and stuff it takes me a while to act on those plans.

So, enjoy I guess. Or don't.

But try your best :))

Oh and PM me or review if you wanna say something.

Ace.


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